


Big brother, little brother

by Akemichan



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, M/M, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 09:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 57,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6606469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akemichan/pseuds/Akemichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ace planned everything: kill Whitebeard and free himself from his father's name. What Ace didn't plan was to find back a brother he thought dead for seven years as the Second Division Commander of the man he wanted to kill.<br/>Written for the One Piece Big Bang 2016</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Last year the One Piece Big Bang was so amazig, with a lot of beautiful work and artwork, I just knew I'd like to be a part of it. So here I am :) It was a funny trip and I definitely hope you all can enjoy my story.  
> I had to send big thank you to my beta Lillikira/Silver Dragonfly (please check his account here!)! I won't be able to pubblish this story in a decent shape without her. Thank you so much!  
> Unlucky, I have no news about my artist partner, so no artwork for this story yet... But it was fun neverthless. Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: Now the story has art too. Thank you so much to Majoraop for her wonderful art. It's amazing, you shoulkd definitely check it out. Since it's a little bit spoiler, I put it inside the story, but if youre impatient you can see it here: http://majorasmasks.deviantart.com/art/Big-Brother-Little-Brother-One-Piece-fanart-611230670  
> I love it so much!

Pain. All he could feel was pain. 

Even before regaining consciousness, the pain made him aware he was alive, wounded, and suffering. Pain was everywhere, attached to him like a creeping vine on a plant, slowly suffocating him. 

He awakened abruptly; one of his eyes tried to open, only to be blocked by something stiff. The pain became unbearable, making his vision blurry. He breathed shallow and fast, his throat so dry he couldn't even scream. He'd wanted to get up, but his body was too heavy. He could feel the muscles working, but an invisible force was holding him down. 

So he remained still, blinking with the only open eye. He needed to feel something else than pain. He needed to see what was happening to him.

He trembled as a hand pressed carefully on his cheek.

"Can you hear me?"

He barely nodded, the voice came in his ears so muffled he wasn't even sure he didn't imagine it. He opened his mouth, lips trembling with the movement, but no words came out.

"Relax. Relax."

The person with him moved, he was sure of it, and even if he tried to reach him with his hand, he couldn't. He didn't want to remain alone. He needed to figure out where he was. And what happened to him. He clearly remembered he was...

And then he realized he didn't remember. With fear looming inside of him, he dug into his memory searching for even a tiny clue that could tell him something.

But he only found emptiness. Nothing was there.

The person was again at his side, gently caressing his head. With careful movements, the person lifted him so he could sit his back leaning against something hard. Something cold was on his lips: he opened them, to feel the water falling down his throat.

"I'll turn on the light," the person said. "Just a little. You slept for too long, and your eye needs time to adjust."

Despite being prepared, he couldn't avoid his shutting his eye immediately, almost scared. Then he breathed slowly and blinked his eye open. The light paralyzed him at the beginning, but then he started to see the surrounding.

Nothing in the room was familiar, but there was nothing inside his head too.

He slowly turned to the person in the room with him and finally saw her: a young woman with long blonde hair. Her voice was gentle, but her expression harsh. She seemed very professional.

"Who... are... you...?" He finally managed to speak, even if each word was like pulling a tooth.

"My name is Curie, I'm a doctor," she introduced herself. "You're safe now. Your wounds were terrible, but we treated you in time. You'll live, and you'll get better but it will take time. For now you need to rest"

He nodded. The pain was slowly receding, so he was able to think clearly. "Why?" he asked.

"Well, third degree burns didn't heal in a week. Your muscles were mostly destroyed, so you can't move. You'll need..." She stopped, suddenly understanding the real question. "I don’t know the details, only that you got caught in an explosion." 

"I don't remember it."

"That's pretty normal. Your head was injured too, and after such trauma, the brain shuts itself down."

"Oh." He acknowledged, but he couldn't relax. The emptiness he felt was frightening, and he almost regretted the loss of pain. Thinking was terrible, because all he could hear was the sound of his questions jumping around an empty echoing space.

Curie stood up and walked towards the door in answer to a knocking at the door. He watched a man enter into the infirmary. At least, he thought it was an infirmary. He wasn't even sure he could make such a statement, or that he knew what an infirmary was. He tried to hear what they were talking about, but the voices were too low for him. He shivered: he was empty, and powerless.

"You can talk with Marco." Curie was again at his side. They had moved too fast for his still sleeping reflexes. "Marco's the one that saved you,” Curie spoke, introducing the man who had just entered. I gave you something for the pain, but it won't last forever. Call me again when the pain becomes unbearable."

Marco waited for her to leave the room, before sitting down next to him. "So, Sabo... how are you feeling?"

"...Sabo?"

"Isn't it your name?" Marco lifted his hands, so he could see the blue top hat Marco was holding. "It was written here, on the inside of your hat. The brim is a little burnt, but it's intact."

"Sabo..." he repeated, slowly. Nothing came in his mind. "Maybe."

Marco looked at him with curious eyes. "Do you remember what happened?" Sabo slowly shook his head. "You were in a little boat on the sea, and someone shot your ship. I was there, and managed to rescue you. But I have no idea why you were out there alone, nor why you got shot."

"That makes two of us." Sabo– he could at least refer to himself with that name? – was almost surprised at his tone. It was like he was joking; a cruel one, but his tone was that of amusement.

"Well, about the shot, I can think a couple of reasons," Marco continued. His piercing gaze was studying Sabo, as if he tried to read his mind, as if he thought Sabo was lying. "You're safe, here. Curie said it's better for you not to move, for now, but if there's someone you want to call..."

Again, Sabo searched at depths of his brain, but he could find only darkness. "I don't know..." he murmured. His eye burned from the tears he was trying to stop. "I don't remember..."

"It's okay." Marco put a hand on his shoulder and pressed gently. "It's okay," he repeated. His nice demeanor made Sabo more eager to talk.

"I don't remember anything. Not even my name. Who I am? I don't know anymore...!"

Marco's hands were both on his shoulders now, holding him gently. "Relax. Relax." His voice was soft, calm. "I'll spoke with Curie about that. Your injuries were bad, so it's not strange. But people recover from accidents, and so will you."

"It's scary," Sabo admitted.

"I can only imagine." Marco smiled, and despite his pretty peculiar face, it was a bright one. "But you can count on us. We're still in the East Blue, so maybe we can go back and try to ask for your parents..."

Parents... That words made Sabo tremble with every muscle. "No!" he exclaimed. "No... I don't want to go back." He had no idea why, but it was the first and only thing he was sure of since he woke up. He intended to follow his instinct.

"As you wish," Marco said. "You can stay here as long as you want. Even forever, I'm pretty sure Pops won't mind." Gently, he pushed Sabo to lie down on the bed. "Sleep, for now. Your memory will come back when you’re ready for it."

Sabo nodded. The pain almost disappeared, and now he felt tired. He had no idea how long he had remained unconscious, but he needed to sleep, hoping he won't wake up again as a stranger to even himself.

 


	2. First Section - Part 1

 

A loud thud, followed by a scream, and the sound of broken wood were the only warnings before Ace's body rolled through the deck and smashed against the railing. The strength of the blow was so powerful Ace couldn't stop and he tumbled over the railing, falling in the ocean.

Marco watched the scene, unimpressed. It was something he was used too, since it happened so often.

"Please, somebody get him back," he said with a sigh.

Some of the men were already on the railing, ready to jump, but Namur offered, and the others all stepped aside. Ace's body was already sinking deep into the sea, aided by how much a devil's fruit user was powerless in its embrace, and Namur with his speed was the best man for the job. A minute after his dive, he resurfaced, Ace under his arm, and one of the pirates threw him a rope to climb back on board.

Ace coughed, sea water dripping from his mouth and nose, and he rested on Namur's shoulder during the climb, trying to get his breath back. But, as soon as his legs were safe on the deck, he moved away quickly. He took two steps and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Namur didn't look offended by his behavior. "You're welcome," he said, a big smile on his fanged mouth. The only answered was a low growl.

Marco scrutinized Ace. It was the third assassination attempt of the day, and Ace’s body was showing the cost of those. An old wound on his head reopened, and blood dripped onto his cheek. Bruises and other small wounds were scattered everywhere and, Marco noticed, pieces of wood had pierced the skin of Ace’s right arm that had impacted against the railing.

But, as he tried to approach, Ace stepped aside. "You can hate us as you want, yoi," Marco said. "But at least let us help you. You need medical assistance."

"I don't need anything. From you especially," Ace stated, then turned around and marched away from Marco across the deck.

No, he didn't need their help, at all. They didn't know how many times he had treated Luffy's wounds. Or that he had learned to take care of his own body since young age, when neither Garp nor Dadan had been there to check his health. Since he had been at sea, he appreciated the treatment of true doctors, but he had enough experience of his own to cure minor wounds like his current ones.

Sure, he could ask Tennant, the Spade Pirates' doctor, to give him a look, but Ace preferred to keep his crew away from him, until he managed to kill Whitebeard. After all they went through because of him, Ace wanted to come back to them with a success.

He definitely couldn't let the Whitebeard pirates help him. They still considered him a friend, but they should understand he was an enemy. He would kill Whitebeard sooner or later. They all would hate him, once he succeeded in that goal, and Ace didn't want that to happen with someone he cared for. So he couldn't afford to become too close with them.

Loneliness was his only friend for now. Not that he wasn't used to her company.

Ace looked around the small hallway on the second lower deck was empty. So he pushed open the door and slipped smoothly inside. He locked the key and sighed. His body really needed to rest for a while, and Ace with it.

For his luck, he had found the room he now used as his. He knew the owner was the Second Division Commander, who was far away for some kind of mission Ace didn't care about that. For all the time the Commander was gone, the room was free and Ace was more than happy to use it. After the first few days he found out that sleeping on the wooden deck wouldn't help him recover and he needed to be in top condition, and the Second Division Commander's room had everything he could use.

None of the pirates would search for him here, so Ace was free to take care of his injuries alone and at his own pace. He went into the bathroom: only the commanders had private showers in the rooms, something Ace highly appreciated. He let the water flow down his body, taking away the salt and the blood and the weariness. He dried himself with a towel and then sat down on the bed.

He had stolen bandages and disinfectants from the infirmary, in order to treat himself. A smile surfaced on his lips, remembering the times when he and Luffy and Sabo were alone in the forest and had taken care one of each other. If he closed the eyes, he could still feel the hands of Luffy on him, and the totally wrong way he had tried bandage someone; and then Sabo's, which were rude but more accurate.

While memories of Sabo were still an open wound in his heart, Luffy's had the incredible power to relax him, no matter the situation. Maybe it was his smile, or his recklessness, but Ace just knew he couldn't fall. Not until his brother was out there for him.

Now that the medical treatment ended, Ace was hungry, or was that Luffy's memory that made him very hungry. His storage of food needed to be refilled, Ace noticed as he ate the last apple and used his power to cook a couple of sausage. He would steal something else, as he used to do in Goa, but for now he definitely needed rest.

He lied down in the soft bed, naked, head sank in the pillow, and he fell asleep quickly.

***

Tom was too old to be on guard duty. But as a fierce member of the Second Division, it was his responsibility to guard the Moby Dick at night, despite being mostly useless. Not many people were so brave - or crazy - to attack the Moby Dick.

He wasn't alone, though. Jerry was with him on the right side of the deck, and other members of their division were spread in other locations. And it was Jerry who tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

"What do you think it could be?"

The sea was perfect still, a black surface who looked almost solid. Jerry was referring to a line,  something or someone who moved fast, splitting the ocean in two parts leaving wake plumes to mark its’ route; much too fast for being a boat, but too small for a sea monster.

Tom drew his sword, while Jerry had already his pistols readied, and both men approached the railing, ready to fight if the 'something' attacked. When it was near enough for Tom's old eyes to see it more clearly, he identified it as a man, who was travelling with a surfboard.

"Could he be...?" Tom smiled.

A second later, both Tom and Jerry had their feet swiped out from under them, their weapons kicked out from their hands, and lying flat on their backs as they collided with the hard wood.

"Guys, you're out of training," Sabo said, a big amused smile on his face.

"Commander!" Jerry stood up in a flash and hugged him until he could hear Sabo's ribs cracking.

Tom joined them soon after. "I'm glad to have you back, kid."

"Hey, make a decision: am I a kid or am I your Commander?" Sabo joked, taking a step back from the two of them, a serious expression on his face.

Tom and Jerry looked at each other. "Both," they answered together, then laughed. Sabo pouted, but not for long. Soon he was laughing with his comrades.

"The mission went well?" asked Tom. All of them preferred to go with their Commanders, but most of the time they alone were enough to take down pirates around their territories.

Sabo pulled up the shoulder strap, making the brown sack bag jingle. "Very good," he answered. "Beating them was boring, but they had some nice treasure, and now it's all ours." He handed the sack to Jerry, who was eager to take a look. The bag was full of very old coins, something very valuable to a money changer. "I'll give these to Vista to evaluate tomorrow."

"Not tonight?" Tom was uncertain. "Pops definitely would like to see you."

"It's late, I don't like the idea of waking him up. And I'm tired too." Sabo put the bag back on his shoulder. "I don't think anything important happened these last few weeks, right?"

"Well..." Jerry began, but then stopped. "No, never mind. You'll find out tomorrow."

Sabo raised an eyebrow. "So something _did_ happen."

Tom smiled widely. "You can say that. But believe me, it's better you find out by yourself."

"Okay," Sabo wasn't so sure. "But if you're hiding something interesting from me, you'll be sorry," he threatened, though not very convincingly.

On a normal occasion, he would pester them until they confessed, but he was very tired after navigating all day. He could wait a few hours to find out the news, as he could wait few hours to see Pops and the others again. As much as he liked go on missions alone, he had missed them.

Sabo went down to the second below deck, only to find out that his room's door was locked. He pushed three times, until he got annoyed enough to just break the lock with his Haki to get in. Fossa would repair it in no time. He closed the door behind him as his gaze settled on the door to the bathroom deciding to have a short shower before sleeping.

He threw the bag on his desk, as he walked and undressed himself on his way to the bathroom, shirt and pants abandoned on the floor. His foot touched something strange, so Sabo turned on the light. In a corner of the room there was a little bush of bloody bandages.

Sabo blinked, trying to remember if he had left them in the first place. But then he heard movement and jumped back into the bedroom, only to find the door wide open. He turned on the light, to confirm what he already suspected; someone had used his private room. The bed sheets had been shifted, and on the floor were remains of food and medical supplies.

"What the hell!"

None of his comrades would have done this. None of them would escape seeing him. But, at the same time, he couldn't be a stranger. There was no way someone would be so smart to get in the Moby Dick without anyone finding out. Sabo really felt he should have listened to Tom and Jerry's news.

He dressed again and turned back in the hallway. Nobody was there. No surprise, the stranger was a fast runner. But from the fissure of Marco's door came a little ray of light, so Sabo opened it and entered in the room.

"Did you know someone was using my room?"

Marco sat at his desk, the pen resting in his fingers and his glasses on. Papers were spread in front of him. Slowly, he put down his glasses and turned around. "Welcome back, kid." His smile was wide, warm.

Sabo couldn't help but reciprocate. "Will you ever stop to calling me kid, old man?"

Marco's amused expression was the best answer he could get. "Weren't you here about your room?"

"Yeah..." Sabo closed the door behind them and sat on the desk, moving aside the papers. "I don't mind it, but did something happen? There were bloody bandages in my bathroom."

"Something happened," Marco confirmed, stretching. "Have you heard about Fire Fist Ace?"

"No. Should I?" Sabo understood that 'Ace' should be a pirate, at least from his nickname, but he didn't have the habit of looking at the newspapers or at the bounties, unlike Marco.

"You will. Ace is one of the most famous rookies out there. He's seventeen, has a bounty of 320 million and he refused to join the Seven Warlord when he was asked to. His crew is small, but he reached the New World in less than six months," Marco explained.

"Impressive," Sabo commented sincerely. As every real pirate out there, he didn't like the Warlords and someone with enough guts to send a fuck off to the government had his respect.

"Then Ace decided the best way to act in the New World was to fight Pops," Marco continued.

Sabo laughed. "Bad choice." It happened often; newcomers got much too ambitious and were over confident in themselves. But Emperors are something else and Whitebeard wasn't the strongest man in the world for nothing.

"Then Pops decided he liked him and wants him to join."

"Ah, I get it," Sabo said. "Pops beat him up so badly you let him rest in my room." Now he felt bad. He had probably scared him, breaking the lock to get in. "I think I should go find him and bring him back. I don't mind him sleeping in my room. New brothers need to feel at home," he said and smiled. He was happy to meet more comrades, and now he understood what Tom and Jerry meant.

"No, you didn't get it." Marco laughed, even if Sabo was pretty disappointed. "I told you Pops wanted Ace to join, the point is Ace had no intentions whatsoever to do so. He keeps trying to kill Pops at every occasion."

Sabo was left speechless.

"Ace considers all of us his enemies, so he refused to be treated," Marco continued. "He used your room and we let him because he needs to rest. Before Pops nabbed him, he fought for five days with Jinbei and he never got the chance to fully recover."

"Why?"

"Well, he keeps fighting and getting beat up..."

"No, I mean why are we keeping him on board," Sabo corrected himself. "Not only does he not want to join, but he tries to kill Pops. We should throw him overboard." And then he glared at Marco, who had the typical 'you're such a kid' expression.

"As I said, Pops likes him. And we do too." Marco grabbed the pen and one of the papers to return to work. "You'll understand when you meet him."

Sabo knew Marco well enough to not ask more. The conversation had ended. "Okay." He hoped down from the desk, only to lie down in the bed. "But since you used my room, I'm gonna sleep here for tonight." He closed his eyes, head resting in his arms.

"Oh, really?" Marco was on top of Sabo quickly, his body blocking Sabo's legs, as he tickled Sabo along the sides and hips.

"...I surrender!" Sabo cried out, panting heavily, alternating between laughter and gasps of breath. After a few moments, he smiled. "I'm glad to be back home."

Marco nodded; his hand reaching up to run gently along Sabo’s burn scar. Sabo was used to it now, but only allowed a few people to touch it. "Get some sleep. You can stay here as long as you want."

As Marco moved off of him, Sabo made himself more comfortable on the bed. "Would you stop to treating me like a kid?" His voice was soft as he drifted to sleep.

"I can't," Marco replied. "You're my little brother."

***

Ace's steps slowed down as he reached the upper deck. He took a deep breath, to recover from the sprint he had just made. Taking a look at his surroundings, Ace noticed that all the guards were more than one hundred meters from him, leaving the deck empty, so he stepped forward, then slumped down against the railing. The hardness of the wood hit him and his back protested.

 _Damn_ , Ace murmured at himself. He wasn't used to sleeping outside anymore. But he should have known he wouldn't be able to use that room forever and that the Second Division Commander would come back. Not that Ace cared: in his opinion would have been better for the Commander to drown and die. But now the Second Division Commander was back, and Ace was forced outside again.

And a new enemy had showed up. He wasn't ready to have someone new trying to persuade him to join, following him around, or trying to be friend with him. With that thought in mind, Ace checked again to see if the guards had spotted him. Speaking with them now is the last thing he wanted to do for the night. He couldn't remain out in the wide open, he needed to find a new hidden spot.

Ace knew the Moby Dick well enough by now, so his brain searched in those memories for something that could be useful. The Little Moby, he decided at last. The small fleet Whitebeard kept in the last lower deck knows as the dock, were complete ships themselves, so it wasn't strange to assume he could find cabins in there. Sure, the carpenters from the Fifteenth Division were always around, checking and repairing the ships, but during the night the dock was empty and unguarded.

So Ace jumped up, ready to go find his new stolen bedroom, when a blue sparkle got his attention. He turned around, and noticed a bird resting on the railing. Ace froze, unable to move his eyes from it.

It wasn't a normal bird, of that he was sure of, but in the Red Line, and even more in the New World, very few animals were normal. Even the bird's size wasn’t really unusual, compared to some sea monster. No, what hit Ace was the plumage. The feathers weren't just blue as the sea, they had golden sparks that moved as if they were alive. They moved and fluttered like flames on a candle. And, looking closer, Ace realized they were actually flames. The amazing plumage was more than enough to get Ace's attention, while the bird's expression was nothing special. It almost looked annoyed.

"What kind of bird are you?" Ace asked, taking a step forward. "And are you edible?"

The bird looked at him outrage, then took a short flight, only to land a few meters from him. Ace laughed; so it was smart!

"I was just joking," he assured.

He wasn't really interested in animals while he had been living in Mount Corbo. They were just food for him. But, partially because of Luffy and his enthusiasm for everything and in part because the Red Line was an amazing place with a lot of amazing lands, he became more and more interested in everything. And this bird wasn’t going to be an exception.

He carefully moved forward, until he was in front of it. The bird kept looking at him, but didn't make a move. So Ace lifted a hand reaching for its’ neck. He only managed to get a brief touch of the flaming feathers with his fingertips before the bird flew away preventing Ace from actually petting him.

"Wait!"

Ace followed the bird with his gaze as it circled around his head, and then went high, until it landed on the Moby Dick's crow nest. Ace stared at it, uncertain, but none of the guards paid attention to them. He jumped from mast to mast to reach it. Ace was fast, but the bird, with an expression which seemed almost amused, flew away as Ace landed in the crow's nest, leaving him very disappointed.

Ace looked after the bird until any last trace of the blue flames disappeared, and then groaned. The meeting made him almost forgot about his current situation: about being on an enemy ship and about still having to kill Whitebeard.

His foot brushed against something soft on the ground. Ace bent down to look at an old blanket and two pillows, forgotten by some guards probably on watch some time ago. He looked around, realizing he had never seen anyone use that crow's nest, since the crew preferred stay on the deck.

Well, that settled Ace's hiding place for the night. He cuddled in the blanket like a stray cat, his head cushioned on a pillow, and he fell asleep.

***

Ace woke up early in the morning, both because of the sun and the sound of the pirates who wandered around the deck. He didn't mind, though: he found being outside, feeling the smell of the ocean, and the familiar wind on his skin in some way pleasing.

But he couldn't relax with the feeling, he still had someone to kill. So, carefully avoiding other pirates to see him climb down from the crow's nest, he landed on the deck and aimed for the pantry. His stomach was demanding attention.

Despite Thatch and the other cooks offering Ace food in their dining hall on many occasions, he never accepted it, always stealing his food right under their nose. The cooks didn't mind, but in the great plan to get Ace to be more friendly with them they kept putting up traps in the pantry to avoid any theft, hoping both that Ace would be captured or would get annoyed by them and start coming in the dining hall.

Neither of those happened. Ace was smart and experienced enough to disable the traps every time, no matter how ingenious they were, and he definitely wasn't ready to eat with everyone else. Dealing with some tricks wasn't such big deal.

For that reason Ace was surprised to find the door of the pantry open. It wasn't wide, so Ace entered carefully, suspecting some surprise hidden in the corner. The traps laid down on the floor, already destroyed. Then he heard the sound of chewing and understood someone had just arrived before him.

A little surprised and wary, Ace explored the rows of shelves around the pantry, until he found the culprit. He didn't recall meeting him before, but in the enormous crew it was possible to miss someone.

Ace took some time to observe his fellow food thief. He was young, just like him, with long curly hair tied up in a low ponytail. Big and smart blue eyes stood out, but not enough to hide the big burn scar on the left part of his face. His clothing looked in some ways more stylish than that of most pirates out there, with the closed white shirt, the frill handkerchief and the blue mantel, but there was something about him, in the way he sat down casually, eating, that showed he was definitely less elegant than his clothing.

Ace felt a gaze upon him, for as long as he was observing the other thief, the same happened to him. So he turned his gaze away, focusing on the shelf full of meat.

"You're the one that destroyed all the traps?" Ace asked casually, reaching for a big piece of sea monster.

"I guess they were there for you?" the other replied.

Ace just shrugged, sat down next to him, but not too close. Fire emerged from his hands, to cook the food. He had learned how to do so from the time he had been in Mount Corbo, but being fire and being able to control it made cooking a lot more easy. Sure, the first time after eating the Flame Flame Fruit wasn't so easy to get the exact amount of fire needed, but now he was pretty good.

And Ace smirked, noticing that the other pirate was watching him with wide eyes.

"Cool." He stood up and got another piece of meat. "Would you cook it for me?"

"No." Ace started eating, paying him no attention.

"Why not! You owe me."

"In what way?" Ace protested.

"I took down the traps for you."

"Oh, no, don't even try," Ace replied, unexpectedly amused by that. "You did it for yourself. You're a thief as much as I."

The pirate looked at him, and then smirked. "You're right." And, a second later, he swiped the meat from Ace's hand and ran for it, disappearing with his meal.

Ace couldn't help but stare at the corner where the pirate had disappeared, in disbelief. Usually, he would follow the culprit to the bottom of hell, because no one should dare to steal his food, but in this particular case he was too surprised.

The last few days on the Moby Dick were full of people trying to please him, so no one contradicted him or stopped him, not even when he was trying to kill Whitebeard. They were annoyingly friendly. It was the first time in a long time Ace had met someone that actually antagonized him, and he liked the change.

Of course, he would make him pay the next time he met him, but for now he could just shrug it off and reach for another piece of meat.

When his stomach was full, Ace stood up and stretched. Despite the night in the crow's nest he had rested well enough to be ready for another day of assassination attempts. He left the pantry, checking to make sure the cooks didn't spot him, and headed for the main deck.

As usual, Whitebeard was there on his enormous chair. He was listening to some of his Commanders, and seemed completely focused on their conversation. Ace walked carefully, hiding himself against the wall of the below deck. He opened his right hand, little sparks of fire emerging from his palm, and then he turned his attention to Whitebeard, who hadn't noticed him yet.

Ace used the wall to push himself into the air, punch ready, aiming for Whitebeard's head. What he hadn't expected was that someone would place them self between Ace and Whitebeard. Being in the air, Ace wasn't able to avoid the hit, but he was fast enough to raise his arm to shield himself. The blow pushed him back, but having stopped it, Ace landed with his two feet on the deck, ready to attack again or defend himself.

He was used to being touched despite being a Logia, because Whitebeard had been punching him since day one, but this was the first time someone else on the crew had done so, or even intervened in Ace’s attacks. This was not something Ace appreciated.

He raised his head, angry, to look at his opponent and froze.

"So you're Ace. I've heard about you, but now that I'm here, I'm not letting you attack Pops anymore."

Whitebeard laughed. "I don't need a baby-sitter, son," he stated. "Or do you really think he can beat me?" Whitebeard inquired, with an amused smile.

"Of course not, Pops! B-but..."

He was the man Ace had met in the pantry, but it wasn't the reason why he was so surprised. No, what stunned Ace was the blue top hat with the goggles he was wearing now. Before, Ace hadn't noticed the similarity, mostly because he didn't expect to see someone who looked like an adult Sabo on the enemy ship. But the top hat was definite giveaway.

However, it had to be just a coincidence. Ace knew all too well that Sabo had died years ago. Ace realized he didn't like this just the same. This man wasn't someone he appreciated, both being a Whitebeard pirate and an asshole, somehow looking like Sabo just made it worse.

Thankfully, it was just a similarity.

"Come on, Sabo, you're ruining the fun."

"...Sabo?" Ace whispered in disbelief.

***

Despite what Marco had told him the night before, Sabo didn't get why he should like Ace, or be fine with him keeping up his assassination attempts. Okay, having a comrade in his raid for food could be nice, but Ace didn't seem like the ideal one.

That's why he couldn't just sit down and wait as Ace tried to kill his father in front of him. And that's why he got annoyed at everyone for being so relaxed. Sure, he didn't believe for a moment Pops could actually be killed, but still... fun wasn't the word he would use to describe the situation.

He freed himself from Thatch's hug, and pouted.

"You're just angry he slept in your room," Thatch said, amused.

"I'm more angry that you let him," Sabo replied.

Thatch didn't seem fazed by the accusation and turned to the subject of their discussion. "Hey, Ace, have you meet our Second Division Commander? He's a food thief just like you."

But Ace wasn't there anymore. While Sabo had bantered with Thatch he had left the deck, without anyone noticing. "See?" Thatch protested. "You scared him."

Sabo rolled his eyes. "I sure hope so."

"That kid won’t get scared off so easily. Sorry, Sabo," Whitebeard laughed.

"Pops..." Sabo looked at him annoyed. "I just don't get it. Why do you want him so badly to join?"

Whitebeard remained silent for a minute. "I miss you, son," he said at the end. "How was your mission?"

"Oh, well, no problem..." Sabo was a little disoriented by the change of topic, but then smiled. "I already left the treasure with Vista. He said we could gain a lot from it."

"We're gonna have to spend everything to feed you, now that you're back," Thatch chuckled.

"Oh, shut up."

"And what about the pirates?" Whitebeard asked.

"Nothing special." Sabo shrugged. "Mostly weak,  but none of them stood up as anything special. Just more people who came to the New World without knowing anything."

Whitebeard leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Since Roger's death, there's a lot of pirates out here on the sea..." he murmured, and it wasn't clear if he was talking to someone or to himself. "But not many of them understand what being a pirate means. And, call me selfish, but I'm not going to give up on a real pirate, now that I've found one."

Sabo got he was referring to Ace. "Oh, so he's a real pirate?" The tone was sarcastic.

"Yes." Whitebeard was serious. "He sees us as enemies, so I'm not surprised he doesn't look like one. But you also looked at him as an enemy."

"Well..." Sabo glared at Thatch, who was laughing.

"If you trust my judgment, give him a chance, okay?"

"...Okay."

***

He didn't run. Because he was stubborn or because there was someone he cared about behind him, it didn’t matter, he never ran.

Yet, here he was, running away.

Ace couldn't blame himself though. Finding out that a dead brother wasn't dead at all, but had just become one of the officials of the man Ace was planning to kill was enough to turn his stomach. Add to that, Sabo had acted as if he didn't know Ace, and it was easy to understand Ace's mixed feelings.

But maybe it wasn't Sabo, just someone who looked like him, and for it to just be an incredible coincidence that he also has the same name. Yep, no way Sabo would have hidden himself from them, making them believe he was dead for seven years; if not for Ace, at least for Luffy.

Their little brother... just the thought made Ace's lips moving in a smile. Yes, it was a shock, but now he could be sure that it was just a coincidence. Ace still had Sabo's letter with him and the words were etched into his mind. He wouldn't have left Luffy believing he was dead.

"Oh, Captain."

Ace looked in front of him. Lost in his thought, he had reached the stern and Namur was here along with Jack Frost, Ace's navigator in the Spades Pirates. Jack looked embarrassed.

"I was just... Commander Namur is showing me their way to fish sea monsters with the net..." he explained. "I thought it could be useful." Namur nodded and lifted a hand in greeting.

"Oh. Okay," Ace muttered.

Ace suddenly realized he didn't know very much about how his own crew, The Spade Pirates, spend his days on the Moby Dick. After being sure they were safe and healthy, he had let them alone while he focused on trying to kill Whitebeard. It wasn't really strange they met the other pirates and expanded their knowledge. Jack relaxed when Ace didn’t react further and smiled.

"So, what are you doing here?" Namur asked. "Isn't time for the morning assassination?"

Ace was always baffled by the easy way they took his murder attempts, as if they were a show to enjoy. And at the same time their attitude and underestimating him was annoying, so Ace rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but your Second Commander disagreed with me."

Namur laughed. "Yeah, he needs to get used to the news."

"I've heard about him from the Second Division, but I haven't met him yet," Jack said. "He's pretty young, right?"

"Yes, probably around Ace's age." Namur smiled at him. "I guess you'll get along very well with Sabo sooner or later."

Hearing that name made Ace's stomach twist, but he managed to answer: "I don't think so."

"Oh, I do, yes, you two are too way similar in some aspects," Namur laughed again.

"I'm impressed he's a Commander at such a young age," Jack commented.

"Said the man who followed a seventeen year old Captain," replied Namur, amused, but then continued: "Sabo joined the crew as kid, so he grew up with us and it just seemed right for him to become a Commander."

"It is normal for your crew to adopt kids?" Jack's look turned on Ace, who frowned. He wasn't a kid.

"Actually, yes, most of the Commanders were very young when Pops took us in." Namur let the net rest on the deck. His tone was nostalgic. "With Sabo... Marco saved him from a very bad accident seven years ago and he's been with us ever since then."

Ace swallowed slowly before asking: "Bad accident?"

"A jerk shot his ship with some cannon as it was leaving harbor." Namur's voice was angry, something not so common. "Sabo was very badly burned, but he lived. Which is the biggest fuck you to the world. Even if..."

"Where did it happen?" Ace interrupted him abruptly.

Namur looked at him perplexed. "East Blue… Oh, right, you came from the same sea, didn't you?" he asked. "Do you know something about an incident?"

The look could be just his imagination, after all, he just knew how Sabo looked as a child. The name could be a coincidence…but the sea, the timing, the accident... everything was just too much in place to keep believing Second Division Commander Sabo wasn't _his_ Sabo.

"No. Nothing," Ace responded evenly.

***

That night, Ace met the blue bird a second time. He was again in the crow's nest, sitting with his back against the mast, blanket at his feet, and the bird just landed on the railing, its’ head stretched out toward him on its long neck.

"Good evening," Ace said without much enthusiasm.

Ace was sad, very sad. He couldn't say when he had ever felt so sad, except perhaps when he had learned that Sabo had died. There were so many different feelings building up in him since he had met the Whitebeards pirates: anger, worry, self-pity, even happiness sometimes, but never sadness, until now.

Sabo, however, had changed everything. Ace had spent all day wandering around, hoping that sooner or later Sabo would come and talk with him. His mind had come with countless scenarios over and over of why Sabo pretended not to know him. Maybe he didn't expect the enemy to be his brother. Maybe he felt embarrassed to tell his crewmates that he was Ace’s brother after all the fuss Ace had caused. Maybe Sabo just needed them to be alone, so Ace did everything he could to provide a chance. But Sabo had never come. He had just stared at Ace with not very kind eyes, maybe annoyed ones, every time he had spotted him in nearby.

In the end, Ace had gotten angry. Okay, so he was a failure, and he probably ended up embarrassing Sabo with all his assassination attempts; but what about Luffy? Ace couldn't accept Sabo hadn't taken the chance to ask him about Luffy. He was their little brother! Both Ace and Luffy had believed Sabo was dead for all this time, Luffy had cried for him so much Ace could barely bare the memory.

Sabo owed him at least an explanation.

And that was when sadness overwhelmed him.

Because the only explanation was that Sabo had chosen to forget about them.

Ace’s melancholy left him thinking it was only right, why shouldn't Sabo choose to forget them? The Whitebeard pirates were a family, they considered all of the crew brothers and Whitebeard was their father. They were strong, and loyal, and they had actually saved Sabo back then, when Ace had done nothing.

It wasn't Luffy fault though. Luffy had asked Ace so many times to save Sabo, to bring him back from Goa, but Ace had refused. Sabo didn't know, so it could be possible that he blamed both of them. And now Ace was trying to kill Sabo’s captain, something that certainly did not make him happy.

Ace should speak with him about Luffy, make sure Sabo forgave him at least. He could stand Sabo's hatred at Ace himself, but he had to protect Luffy from it.

Just... He couldn't. Ace could handle the hatred of everyone, but not Sabo's or Luffy's.

The bird didn't change position, his neck nearby and inviting Ace’s touch, so Ace leaned an hand and stroked it. The bird didn't move, and Ace continued the motion it, his fingers passing between the feathers of flame. Despite their appearance they were actually feathers, both soft and relaxing. Ace appreciated the feeling.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted, quietly.

Confronting Sabo about Luffy meant dealing with the reality that his brother was no longer his brother. Not confronting him meant betraying Luffy, but at the same time gave Ace the illusion that his Sabo was still dead, and still his brother. And that selfish thought destroyed him.

The bird had no solution for him. It just moved from the railing to his side, cuddling and letting his blue and gold feathers caress Ace's bare torso, relaxing him. He didn't leave until Ace didn't fell asleep.

***

Another day, another raid in the pantry.

And another meeting Ace would have preferred to postpone until he had settled his mind.

Sabo had already stolen everything he could and now, with a big sack on his back, was running in the hallway. The cooks followed him, large knives in their hands, screaming. Ace stopped in the middle of the hallway, uncertain if he should intervene or not.

Sabo passed him, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, no. Now it's two of them!" one of the cook protested.

Ace arched an eyebrow, because he wasn't Sabo accomplice, nor was he stealing right now. However, he could understand the cooks' point of view, so he knew there was just one way out. Raising his hands Ace released small sparks into the air and set them adrift. He guided them toward the cooks, attaching them to the knives they held until the blades became too hot to hold.

That was enough for the group to stop following. Ace turned around and started to run after Sabo.

"Here," Sabo said, pointing down one of the hallways. At the end were the stairs to the upper deck, but that wasn't their destination. Sabo lifted up one of the steps, revealing a trapdoor and hidden space below. He entered and waited for Ace to join him before closing it behind them.

Ace observed their surroundings. The small space below the stairs has been furnished and supplied nicely with pillows, blankets, water, and books. It looked like a hideout.

"What is this place?"

Sabo made himself comfortable on one of the pillows, opening the sack in front of him and revealing all the food he had stolen; a mixture of meat, fish, and fruit.

"It's my secret place," he explained. "Al and Alb built this for me some time ago. It's nice having a place to hide sometimes." He smirked, not explaining when 'sometimes' was.

Ace knew Al and Alb, they were two of the youngest pirates on board, two carpenters of the Fifteenth Division. "Then why did you show it to me?" He asked as he sat down next to Sabo.

"The youngest pirates of the crew need to stay together," Sabo stated in way of explanation.

"I'm not a part of the crew."

Sabo reached for an apple, and then leaned it towards Ace. "Then take it as a thank you for helping me before. Do you want some?"

Ace stared at the apple, without seeing it. He was becoming overwhelmed by the feelings springing up from being alone with Sabo, after a robbery, just like old times. Then he focused on letting his flames move over the meat, cooking it as he was able too.

"Thanks," Ace said. He took a piece of meat and started to eat, hinting with his hand for Sabo to help himself.

Sabo didn't wait and stuffed his mouth with as much food as possible. "You're good," he murmured, after he swallowed everything. "It was cooked perfectly. I didn't expect you to let me taste it. Why?"

"Are we playing truth or dare?" Ace retorted. He didn't get how Sabo could be so at ease after everything that happened.

"Why not?"

"Okay, then." Ace took another piece of meat. "It was a thank you for showing me you hideout. My turn, why do you steal?" It wasn't the first question he that had come to mind, but he wasn't ready to hear the answer to that one yet. "You don't need too."

"You don't, either," Sabo answered quickly, smirking.

"That's not an answer, you aren't respecting the rules," Ace snapped back.

"Same goes to you," Sabo replied, with a smile. "You should have asked me if I wanted truth or dare before asking me."

Oh right, stupid game. "Fine. Truth or dare?" Ace asked, annoyed.

"Dare."

"I hate you."

Sabo laughed. "I steal for fun," he answered, at  last. "I mean... they were pretty protective with me, you know? Because of my accident and everything. Then Thatch was always 'you should eat healthy' and so..." He did a very convincing impression of Thatch that almost made Ace smile. "I liked it, but sometimes it just felt like too much, so I started stealing something that Thatch didn't serve me. And now it's kind of a habit for us."

"I see." Ace felt warm in his heart, as he imagined a young Sabo wandering around the Moby Dick with everyone taking care of him... as Ace wasn't able to do.

"My turn," Sabo said, the food was almost finished, as the two of them continued to eat. "Why do you want to kill Pops?"

"I got my reasons." And Sabo should know; should know better than anyone.

"That's not an answer."

"That's not the game," Ace retorted. "You didn't ask truth or dare."

Sabo blinked, and then laughed. "Okay, you win." He raised his hands in surrender. "But I haven't seen anyone so adamant to kill Pops. You're not the only one trying, but all others gave up very pretty fast."

"I'm not _all_."

"That's for sure, since Pops asked you to join. That doesn’t happen very often either." Sabo took the last piece of meat, as he was speaking casually. "That's why I asked. You don't like us and you still keep trying to kill Pops even if there's no chance. You either got a motive which isn't stupid, or you're the stupid one here."

Ace snored. "I never said I don’t like you."

It was the first time Ace admitted it, and that definitely made Sabo speechless. "You mean you do?" he exhaled, at the end, moving closer to Ace, much too close.

Slowly, Ace nodded. Why shouldn't he? The Whitebeard Pirates were everything he imaged real pirates to be: strong, loyal, free.

"Then why-"

"I’ve got my reasons!" Ace would have liked to leap to his feet, but the space was too small. "And you should know them."

"Should I?"

Ace looked at him in the eyes. It wasn't any more time for truth and dare. He needed to ask. He needed to know, no matter how hard it could be to hear. "Sabo, you-"

And then someone knocked at the step. "Hey. You know you're shouting?" It was Al.

"You don't want everyone to find out about our hideout, right?" Alb added.

"Of course not." Sabo glared at Ace, then stood up and opened the trapdoor, to reveal the faces of his two crewmates, sitting on the steps.

"The Commanders are looking for you," they said, together, it seemed like something serious.

"Okay. Close the door when you get out," Sabo said to Ace, before leaving him with the question still blocked in his mouth.

***

The Commanders' meeting with Whitebeard lasted long, so Ace just wandered around the ship, waiting for them to finish.

After spending some time with Sabo, he realized how much he missed him. Seven years was more than enough time for Ace to grieve, so it wasn't a surprise that his first feeling in finding Sabo was shock and incredulity. Now it wasn't enough. Ace wanted Sabo back in his - their life.

Would Sabo be willing to come back, though? Ace wasn't sure, but he was pretty determined to find out. No more fear.

Wandering around without a purpose made Ace appreciate some things on the Moby Dick he had not taken the time to appreciate before. He already knew how they were real pirates, but he couldn't wrap his mind around their routine, especially when the Commanders weren't around.

Most of the pirates were on the upper deck, in small groups, drinking, chatting, reading the newspaper. Some of them just looked at the sea, smiling at something as simple as a seagull fishing. At the stern, a group was sparring, reminding Ace of the times when he did the same with his brothers. He'd like to join, but forced himself not to go over.

Below deck, Ace could find the workers. The cooks rarely left the kitchen, understandable with how many people they needed to cook for, but they mood was great. They cooked, sang and made dirty jokes, all while waiting for their crewmates to eat their dishes. Same went for the other workers: the Fifteenth Division, taking care of some carpentry, and the Thirteen Division, washing the laundry. In the navigator's room, the Eighth Division were busy drawing and checking maps like expert scientists. 

Ace's mind played with his imagination, as he saw himself with them, wondering which Division would suit him best. Maybe the Second Division; most of the pirates in that division were now sleeping after the night of guarding. Definitely not the Fourth Division, Ace chuckled.

But that was the reason why Ace couldn't let his guard down. Each second he spend in their company he was a second closer to really liking them. And he couldn't afford it, because killing Whitebeard was more important. Surpassing his father was more important.

Thankfully, not everything he found in his exploration of the Moby Dick was good. When Ace saw a couple making out near the stairs, he decided to change his route. Sex didn't embarrass him, but he knew people didn't like to be observed, or even being found out in that moment. So he was about to turn around when he recognized one of the two lovers.

"Regina...?" His tone was astonished.

His quartermaster lifted her head to look at him, annoyed. "What?" She was still wrapped around her lover’s torso and, by the way she moved her hips, she didn't want to leave.

"Could I speak with you a minute?"

"Now?" It wasn't Regina, but her partner, in a way that sounded more as a moan.

"Yes. Now." Ace's tone was definitive, so he turned around the corner.

Regina sighed, but in the end followed him. "I don't know what your problem is," she said, as she adjusted her long black dress back in place. "That was very embarrassing."

"Because, of course, any of the Whitebeard Pirates is someone I want to impress," Ace replied, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," Regina shrugged. "They still keep you here despite everything."

"Well, I don't ask for it." Ace huffed.

"Oh, right, you just ask to be killed, I forgot."

Ace snorted. He already knew what his crew thought of his decision to challenge Whitebeard. He couldn't blame them, because they didn't know his own story well enough to understand. But, at least, he could ask them to be supportive.

"We'll talk about that after I kill Whitebeard," he said finally.

"Yeah, sure." Regina didn't hide her skepticism. "Did you interrupt my date just for this?"

"Your date! You aren't supposed to date any of the Whitebeard Pirates in the first place."

"I don't see why."

"They're enemies!"

Regina smiled. It wasn't a nice one, it was the smirk she reserved for people she didn't like, people she didn't consider smart enough for her. It was the first time Ace saw that smile directed to him. "Now I see the problem," she said, slowly. "Ace, do you realize we have spend weeks, here? Here, on their ship, basically without our own Captain?" she specified. "Because you were too busy being beating up to even check if we're okay."

"I knew you were okay! I spoke with the nurses just after you came back for me..."

"I don't mean physically." Regina crossed her arms. "Did you stop and think for even a  little about how we felt? About you and this entire situation?"

Ace didn't speak. Of course he had thought about them, and he knew how they felt. That was the reason he couldn't return to them until he killed Whitebeard, but Regina took his silence as a "No."

"You can't blame us just because we're friends with them."

"You are friends... with them?" Ace repeated.

"Yes. Friends. The Whitebeards Pirates are nice, funny, and brave. They're everything you could appreciate, if you’d take your head out of your ass," Regina affirmed, cruel. "So we like them and we spend time with them. Is that wrong?"

Ace couldn't find a single reason to tell her that yes, it was wrong. He was paralyzed. The fear of being alone, the fear of being not enough, had come back. He had almost forgotten how it was in the past, but now it was stronger than ever. Yes, why should his crew remain loyal, when he was so incompetent? He forced them, with his behavior, to risk their lives to save him and, in the end, he couldn't bring them a result.

No surprise, when everyone else is better than him, that his crew realized that. No surprise, then, that Sabo just pretended to not know him. Who would tell anyone they have a brother like him?


	3. First Section - Part 2

 

Although the meeting was pretty important, Sabo couldn't stop thinking about his meeting with Ace that morning. He didn't get why Pops would him to join so badly, and now he didn't get why Ace behaved in that way. In seven years, Sabo had seen a lot of Pops' rivals, but most of them just fought for glory and power, and that was the reason they gave up soon after realizing they couldn't have any when facing Whitebeard.

But Ace? He was one of the most powerful rookies out there, but definitely he didn't fight for either power or glory; which made him both interesting and scary at the same time.

So Sabo, when he saw the Spade Pirates in the dining room after the reunion, didn't lose the chance to sit down with them. His men had told him that they were a lot friendlier than their Captain and they spent a lot of time with the Second Division, but he could tell they were a little tense at having a Commander at their table.

"Hey," Sabo greeted them. "I wasn't here when you came aboard, so I just want to say hello."

The crew nodded, but nobody spoke. They just looked at each other, until the eyes of everyone stopped on King, the vice-captain, a very fat man with short curly brown hair. He didn't look very dangerous, but Sabo knew better than to judge with appearance, in the Grand Line especially.

"Thank you," King said. "Commander Marco let us stay in the Second Division dormitory."

"He told me... if you need something, you can count on me from now on."

"I've heard you met our Captain," Frost murmured.

Sabo nodded. "Not a very pleasant one," he admitted. "He was trying to kill my Captain."

King smiled, his big lips stretched. "Well, you're the normal one here. Usually the others just laugh at Ace."

About that, Sabo and King thought in the same way. The entire situation was absurd. But Sabo knew if Pops and the others acted in that way, it was because they understood Ace better than them, even if they are as clueless as he was about the reason.

"Do you have any idea why Ace wants to kill Pops?"

The entire crew shook their heads as one. What reason Ace could have, he definitely had kept it hidden. "We don't get that either," King said.

"What?" Regina had just joined them, slumping in one of the benches in a very not elegant manner.

"Ace's reasons," Frost answered. "Should I take this as hint that your date didn't go as well as planned?"

Regina glared at him, and then sighed. "It's hard to get focused when you just had a fight with your Captain."

"You fought with Ace? Why?" King's tone was accusatory.

"For the same reason you are all here in therapy session," Regina retorted. "I don't get him."

"Nobody does," Tennant agreed. "But that's not a good reason to be a bitch with him."

"I'm a bitch with everyone." At that, everyone just nodded. "I didn't want to, okay? It's just... doesn't he get how hard is it on us?"

"I suppose it's hard for him too," Frost said shyly.

Regina snorted and stretched on the bench. "I know. But he's the one who has to decide. Not us. So we're stuck here... It's unnerving."

"What would you like for Ace to do?" It was the first time Sabo spoke after Regina's arrival, as he had just stayed silent to listen the Spades Pirates' discussion. And that was when Regina noticed him, but Sabo couldn't hold himself back from asking. How could Ace be such a good captain, as Pops said, when he let his crew worry like this?

"You don't get it either," Regina said. "We don't want Ace to do anything. We want Ace to be happy."

***

The destination was set for the island of San Sebastian. With how unpredictable the climate in the New World was, it wasn’t a surprise when the Moby Dick ended up in a polar one, with temperatures below zero Celsius. This led to not many people who were brave enough to stay outside; instead the pirates enjoyed the warmth of the area below deck and of the alcohol the cooks served them.

Sabo, being the Second Division Commander, was in charge of the ship's guard so he still spent quite a bit of time outside, unconcerned by the shivers that crossed his body despite his warm coat. He needed to be with his men and help Namur make sure they were still on correct course from time to time.

There was no snow on the deck and it was a sunny day, but Sabo wasn't mistaken with the idea of it warming up suddenly, so they were not surprised when they spotted an iceberg while it was still far away from the Moby Dick.

"Go tell Namur," Sabo ordered one of his men. "We need to change the course right now. You all, stand ready." The Second Division split: half went in the lower deck, arming the cannons to shot the iceberg, while half remained on the deck, controlling the situation.

What they didn't expect was for the iceberg be so big as they approached it much faster than expected. The Moby Dick turned only a few degrees before it was just two hundred of meters away. It was clear they won't be able to dodge.

"Teach," Sabo called. "Go below and tell the others to start shooting. We need to keep the iceberg at a distance until Pops arrives." With his earthquake ability, he could destroy it in no time, but because of its large size, they needed time to give him time to get on the deck.

"Sure. I'm sending someone to wake Pops up." Teach nodded.

"I'll take it."

Everybody turned around to see Ace standing in the middle of the deck, his hand already covered in fire. He was the only one to wear an open coat with just a shirt underneath, and still wearing only shorts on his legs. He walked slowly, until he reached the figurehead. The pirates watched Sabo, waiting for instruction. It was the first time Ace offered to do something to help them.

"Can you destroy it?" Sabo asked.

"You think I'm going let the iceberg hit us hoping that it will kill Whitebeard?" Ace didn't turn to look at him.

"No," Sabo replied. "I'm just asking if you can destroy an iceberg entirely. It's pretty big and I don't know your powers well enough."

"I can."

"Okay, then." Sabo gestured to Teach, who nodded and crossed his arm, waiting. It was too late to act now anyway, the iceberg was just in front of them. In the lower deck, some of the men started shooting, even without receiving any orders.

Ace took a deep breath, then took a step forward to the edge of the ship. The fire around his fist flared. "Fire Fist!" The blast of flame hit the iceberg directly in the middle, cracking it from the sheer strength of the blow. Some pieces of ice flew up on the deck, and the pirates ran around to avoid them. However, Ace didn't extinguish the flames, but kept pushing them deeper into the ice and the seat itself. He knew how much the iceberg was likely to be underwater. He could still  feel resistance and it was not  from the surface of the sea.

He could also feel that the iceberg was still moving, about to reach the hull of the Moby Dick. So Ace pushed himself forward, letting his flames grow and grow, almost losing his balance in the process. He jumped, startled when he felt two arms embrace him from behind.

"I've got you!" Sabo screamed. "Go ahead."

Ace nodded and pressed himself forward, the fire coming from his hands still digging deeper into the iceberg, and causing high waves and jets of vapor. He kept going and didn't stop until he felt the resistance of the ice suddenly disappear, and then still kept it up for several moments longer just to be sure it was destroyed entirely.

"Done," Ace said panting. He had no problem with using his powers for such a duration,  but he was more used to something very fast and concentrated.

"Good job." Sabo let him go and patted him on the back. "You really warmed things up," He then added as he began opening up his coat and waved his hand in front of his face. "The emergency is over, but stay on guard; there could be more icebergs around," he said to his men, climbing down from the figurehead.

"Thanks for the help," Ace said as he joined him.

"Thanks to you, I didn't want to wake up Pops if I could avoid it." As with the other Commanders, Sabo was worried about Whitebeard’s health and, when possible, he tried to take care of things himself. "Even if you didn't really do it for us, but for your crew." He smiled. "You wouldn't put them in danger of a shipwreck, right?"

"Of course not." Ace remained still, looking at him, as if waiting for something. Sabo couldn't avoid his gaze, but he didn't understand what it was Ace was waiting for, so he reciprocated the gaze, until Ace just turned around and left the deck.

Sabo's gaze followed him and it met with Marco's figure standing in one of the open doors which led down to the lower deck. He looked at him questioning, but Marco just shook his head.

***

Ace met the blue bird again. It was like a date, and Ace chuckled, thinking that his life had reached a new low if his only mate could be a bird, even if it was a strange bird.

"I don't know what to do" he admitted, caressing the bird's neck.

After his arguing with Regina, he had lost all will to ask Sabo anything. He knew he couldn't handle a refusal from him, but at the same time he couldn't stay in this limbo forever. He had to make a decision: keeping killing Whitebeard to prove something, or just let it go.

As usual, the bird looked at him as though it could actually understand what he was saying. Then, it did something unusual: it moved, landing next to Ace, and turned its back to him, its wings wide open in invitation.

"Do you want me to climb up?" Ace asked, perplexed. The bird nodded and shifted its wings, the feathers waving and sparkling even more with the movement.

This was unexpected. Ace stared at the bird. It looked like a way out, a way to leave the ship without anyone knowing. Of course, he wouldn't do something so irresponsible. He wouldn’t run away. Even if his crew didn't like him anymore, he was still their Captain and he would fulfill his duty until the end.

But flying for a little seemed nice. It could help clear his thoughts.

Slowly he moved until he was kneeling on the bird's back, his hands resting next to its’ neck. The bird waited for him to make himself comfortable before moving its wings. Then it jumped as its wings picked up speed and pulled them further up into the air. Ace found himself in the air and tightened his grip, the feathers tickling his fingers.

The bird was almost vertical as it climbed up into the sky, not leveling out until it surpassed the lower clouds. The sun blinded Ace for a second, but when he was able to see again, he was astonished by the sight. He was used to looking at the sea from the height of the cliff in Goa, and then from the mast of his ship, but from the sky it was unbelievable. Two shades of blue running parallel as far as he could see, following each other until they disappeared in the horizon. Everything seemed so small, so insignificant.

Ace closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his face. Despite the speed, it was gentle, relaxing. The bird soared low, until it almost touched the surface of the sea. Ace's hand moved forward, his fingers brushing the sea, at first lightly, and then lifting a small wall of water in their wake. The bird seemed not happy from the unexpected bath, and soared up high again.

Ace didn't care. He just laughed and then brushed his hair back with the wet hand. His coat had been left behind and his yellow shirts fluttered around him in the wind. When they reached an island (well, if it could be called an island as it was just a little rocky surface in the middle of the ocean), Ace jumped off even before the bird landed, and rolled himself in the ground. He  rested, arms and legs spread open, appreciating the sun on his skin.

"I almost forgot," Ace murmured.

"What?"

"What it means to be a pirate." The sea. The freedom.

"I agree."

And then Ace realized he had just talked with the bird, or rather, the bird talked to him. Ace whirled around quickly, almost breaking his neck in the process, only to find the bird wasn't a bird anymore. Now Marco stood still behind him, arms crossed and a warm smile on his face.

"What... What!"

"Phoenix, yoi." Marco pointed at himself. "I'm amazed you never connected my nickname with my animal form."

"Well, because it didn't work like that," Ace jumped stand. "You can heal yourself. How you can have an animal form? It's unfair."

"I ate a Mythological Zoan, I'm not a Paramecia, that's why."

"As I said, unfair. And you tricked me."

"I definitely did, yoi."

Ace glared at Marco - he could at least pretend to be sorry, but wasn't - and then turned around. The rock was small enough to be crossed from coast to coast in five steps, and the sea around was still, and empty.

"You didn't simply trick me. You kidnapped me."

"I recall, you climbed on my back of your own will," replied Marco, that amused smile still firm on his face.

"What's wrong with you!" That was a crew of crazy and insufferable people. Ace was going to take back all he had said about liking them.

"You liked the flight, didn't you?" Marco moved forward and sat down on the sand. "I just wanted to have a little chat with you, that's all."

"You could have asked on the ship," Ace replied. "No reason to kidnap me."

"Well, you're not exactly friendly, you know."

"Guess why." He stopped to paying attention to Marco, just to explore the small rock. There was nothing that could help him leave on his own, not even something to lure a sea monster with. He was trapped.

"You're not going to let me die here," Ace demanded, glaring at Marco.

"Of course not," Marco smiled. "I promise, I'll bring you meat and water every day."

"What am I, a pet?" And when Marco laughed again, Ace growled. "You're not funny at all." He snapped and sat down as far away from Marco as the rock would let him.

Still smiling, Marco shook his head. "I'm sorry, yoi. I didn't plan to kidnap you." And, at Ace's smirked, he added, "No more than what Pops has already done."

"You still did."

"Yes, because I wanted to talk to you about Sabo." At that sentence, Ace tensed a little. He breathed slowly, trying to remain still and calm, but he was afraid his body had just betrayed him, because Marco was looking at him very carefully. "You know him, don't you? You two met in the past."

"You should ask Sabo," Ace replied. It didn't surprise him Sabo hadn't told his crewmates anything. He had pretended to not know Ace at all. The realization of it didn't mean it hurt less.

"I would, if he could answer," Marco said. This time his tone was serious. "As I guessed, you don’t know of his condition."

"What. Condition?" Words came out of Ace's mouth with difficultly.

"Sabo has no memory of his past." Marco lowered his gaze. "His wounds from the accident seven years ago healed, but not his memory. Probably ten years of his life are gone. When he woke up after I saved him, he was a blank slate; nothing there anymore."

Ace listened to him with wide eyes. He was so stunned he almost forgot to breathe. "Are you..." He exhaled as he realized the exact meaning of what Marco was saying. "If you're joking about this..."

"I'm not!" Marco realized his voice was a little too high, his tone too rush. "Sabo's my crewmate and my little brother. We tried in every way to heal him, to find out if there's someone in his life he cared about. But we failed."

Ace's lips and throat were dry. "So you kept him," he still managed to say.

"We asked him to join us, and he accepted," Marco corrected him. "That doesn't mean we stopped asking ourselves what was in Sabo's past."

"God..." Ace stood up and trembled away, turned to show his back. "God..." Sabo's hating him had been insufferable, and now he knew Sabo didn't. He hadn’t pretended to not know Ace because... He couldn’t pretend. Sabo just didn't remember. It was such a relief from pain, Ace could barely bare it.

His brother was alive.

Finally he could say this without feeling bad about it. He shivered, every single muscle of his body throbbed. His brother lost his memory. He didn't remember Luffy, or him, or anything.

"God..."

"So you did meet him, yoi." Marco was behind him. He wasn't touching him, or approaching him, just stood looking at his back. "You knew him well."

"How did you guess?"

"Your attitude changed when Sabo came back." Marco paused. "I'd like to ask you about Sabo's past, but-"

Ace exploded then, words tumbling out. "Sabo was the first. When I was alone, he was there. When I didn't have anyone, he was there. Friend, mate, brother... he was everything for me for a long time." Tears erupted from his eyes, like in the past after reading Sabo's last words on the letter. "I thought he died back then and then he was with you and he didn't say me anything and I thought it was because you're so much better than me and he didn't want me as a brother anymore... I let him down once and I deserved it but..."

And then Marco hugged him. At first he didn't say anything, just held him tight, their bodies touching each other. Some blue flames flickered on Marco's arms, trying to relax Ace. He waited until Ace's tears stopped and his body stopped trembling. Then he released him and took a couple of step forwards to face Ace.

"We aren't better than you, Ace. Stronger, sure, but one doesn't measure value with that," Marco reassured. "How could you think so little of yourself, when we're trying everything to have you join as crewmate?"

Ace turned to look at Marco with big and tear-filled eyes, mouth half-open.

"I won't ask you anything about Sabo," Marco continued. "I want to know, but it is something between the two of you. Just... If it's so important to you, fight for him. Sabo didn't let you down on purpose, he didn't know he could."

"Maybe I can't do anything," Ace managed to say, in the end. "The way he looked at me..."

Marco smiled slightly. "Memory is complicated. But will you try?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes. But more than that, I want you to want to."

Then, slowly, Ace nodded.

***

They were in a meeting again. No surprise there, since diplomatic incidents like this didn't occur often, and it was important for all Commanders to be informed of all news, even the little things.

Marco knew this very well, but he couldn't focus, not after his little chat with Ace. Sabo looked the same, so he was pretty sure Ace hadn't made a move yet. It was just a matter of time, and Marco was eager to see the outcome.

As with every pirate in the crew, he didn't care about Sabo’s past or the past of his crewmates. They had left everything they didn't like behind when they had joined the crew and nobody would judge anyone for that. But leaving the past was different than having no past at all.

Marco was sure he wasn't the only one to think about Sabo's memory from time to time. The only feeling Sabo knew for sure was the fear of going back to his parents, so it was an easy choice for him to join. Yet, no one knew the reason behind that fear, or if there was something important Sabo had left behind without knowing.

And now Ace was there and there was no way Ace's past relationship with Sabo was a bad thing. Marco had seen how much Ace was affected by Sabo's condition, and how upset he was. Despite not being able to figure out anything from Ace’s blabbering, Marco understood there was something important between Ace and Sabo. He didn't ask, but he actually did want to know.

Sabo was his little brother, after all.

So, when the door of Pops' study opened, Marco's head snapped up, almost breaking his neck. Ace entered the room, two pipes gripped in his left hand, peculiar choice of weapon.

"Could you wait?" Pops asked, assuming Ace was there for him. "I'll be all yours as soon as we end this meeting."

Ace's gaze was low, but he shook his head. Then, he passed one of the pipes to his other hand.

"You're..." Sabo started, but stopped when the pipe was tossed to him. He caught it, baffled.

"What?"

"Get ready," Ace said briefly, then attacked.

Pops and the other Commanders watched the fight confused. None of them understanding Ace's behavior, but they didn't make a move to interrupt, at least while the situation was under control, but that didn't make them less confused. Ace never attacked someone other than Pops and, even if Sabo had antagonized him once, it was still a strange way to react.

Marco couldn't help but smile. Of course they couldn't understand without knowing the background. But it wasn't his story to tell, so he focused his attention on the fight, the pipes clanging as they hit each other.

Ace had fought with weapons many times, as soon as he realized his strength and his fire wouldn't be enough with Pops, but it was the first time he seemed confident with one. Sabo also had some skill with swords and guns, having been trained by the crew as a child, but his style of choice was more physical. He was less confident with the pipe, but, in some way, his body reacted out of instinct.

It wasn't enough. With a strong hit, Sabo lost his grip on the pipe. It flew through the air in a high arc, and the fell to the floor and rolled a few meters away from him, while he just watched, arm still raised.

"Shit," Sabo exclaimed. "Don't think you're stronger than me now," he snapped at Ace.

"Of course not." Ace had raised his pipe, pointing it towards Sabo's neck, but in a very un-threatening manner. He smiled. "But it's still twenty six to twenty four to me. Only Luffy couldn't beat us."

"What are you talking about?" Sabo frowned.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Ace lowered the pipe, disappointed. "Sure it wasn't the best idea, but I thought that at least a flash... We used to do it every day..." His voice trailed off.

"Oh. Dammit," Pops snorted. "I can't believe I didn't even think about it."

"That's because you're getting old, Pops," Marco smirked.

"Say that again, brat."

The other Commanders were starting to understand the situation. Sabo swallowed, not taking his gaze off Ace, not until he grabbed Ace’s shirt and pulled him then lowered his head to rest on Ace’s chest, trembling. Then he turned around, looking at Pops with the same big scared eyes he had the day he had woke up without memory.

"I guess you two have a lot to talk about," Marco said gently. "Alone." He said the last at his crewmates after already seeing the look in some of their eyes. And, just to be sure, he grabbed both Thatch and Izou by the ears and pulled them closer to him.

"And the meeting?" Sabo murmured. Ace stepped back, sighing.

"We can go on without you," Pops nodded. "Go."

Sabo smiled slightly. "Let's go in my room," he suggested, and then began to lead the way. Ace shot a look at Marco, but he didn't add anything. He followed Sabo outside the study and closed the door behind him.

Only then, did Marco release Thatch and Izou. "Ouch!" Thatch protested. "That was unnecessary."

"It is unnecessary to spy on them," replied Marco, unmoved.

"Well, I don't think so. Ace came from Sabo's past? How is this not something related to us!"

"I agree," Izou added. "We spent years wondering over Sabo's memory and finally we got a clue!"

"Since when have you known, Marco?" Jozu's calm voice relaxed the atmosphere a little. Even Thatch and Izou realized they had crossed a line.

"I had suspected it for a while, but it was only yesterday I got confirmation," Marco answered. "I didn't ask specifics, so I know as much as you."

"I told Ace he and Sabo both came from the East Blue," Namur commented. "But since nothing changed, I didn't connect the dots. I feel like an idiot now."

"You're in good company," Vista assured him.

"What's gonna happen now?" Haruta was embracing herself.

"Memory is strange," Pops spoke for the first time after Sabo's leaving. "Sure it could be positive for Sabo to meet someone from his past, but I doubt it'll be so simple."

"Sure... Thinking that, of all people, Ace..." Curiel didn't make his though clear.

"Well, I think it's good," Marco said. "I have no clue what was between them, but I'm not worried because it's Ace."

"I agree, but don't you think Sabo will start trying to kill Pops too?" Fossa suggested. They all turned to look at him, and then the room bust out in laughter.

"Well, I can still take care of them both," Pops confirmed, clearly amused.

"No doubt, but I hope Sabo will be a good influence on Ace and not the other way around, yoi." Marco shook his head. "For now, just let them speak. And we're still in meeting, right?"

The Commanders nodded and looked at each other, before looking to Pops. "Oh, get out of here, all of you," he ordered. "None of us can focus anymore for now, me less than you. Go." It was impossible for any of them to not think about how Sabo was about to discover some of his past, so they left the room relieved.

"I need sake..." And, for once, Marco was more than ready to fight with the nurses to let Pops have it. He wanted a drink too.

***

Sabo opened the door of his room and then gestured to Ace to let him in. "I'd tell you to make yourself comfortable, but you already have before," he said, with a smile, remembering that Ace had used it as hideout.

Ace nodded and sat down on the bed. He appreciated the attempt at humor, but the atmosphere was still tense. Of course his plan had failed, but it was better, in his opinion, than just going up to Sabo and saying 'hey, Sabo, you know that I'm your brother from the past and I thought you were dead all this time'. But now that it was time to talk he couldn't avoid it anymore.

Sabo took off his jacket and shirt, dropping them carelessly on the chair. Ace's eyed widened; Sabo's body was covered in burn scars. They covered most of his left arm, spreading on to his shoulder and torso. One of his nipples was gone, and some scars reached down far enough to tickle his bellybutton, before disappearing in his pants. As with everyone in the crew, Sabo had the jolly roger tattoo, his on the lower part of his neck, partially covering the scar on his shoulder. It was like he was trying to say 'fuck you, I survived and now I'm a pirate'.

"They don't hurt anymore," Sabo said noticing his look. "But yes, they were from the accident I lost my memory in."

"I thought you died in that accident," Ace murmured, his eyes unable to pull away from the scars.

"An understandable mistake with how badly hurt I was. If Marco wasn't there..." Sabo cut himself off. "I guess that explains why nobody was searching for me these last seven years."

Ace swallowed, his guilt raised. If only he had hoped... If only...

Sabo sat down next to him and put and hand on his shoulder. "So... We knew each other, tell me."

Tell what? There were so many things to explain, to feel guilty about. Slowly, Ace reached for his pocket and took a folded piece of paper. "This is the letter you send me before leaving the island." Ace showed him. "I never let anybody read it, not even Luffy, but you wrote it. It's yours."

He watched Sabo unfold the letter and read. Ace had it memorized, so he just followed Sabo's eyes as he read, knowing at which word he was at in every moment. Ace didn't say anything though, just watched. He wasn't so optimistic to think it was enough to bring Sabo’s memory back.

Sabo kept his eyes focused on the letter, but as he reached the end, his grip tightened. His hands shook. "I... I... I don't remember!" When he lifted his head, his eyes were teary and open wide. "I felt... the person who wrote this... but it's not me... because I didn't... God..."

"It's okay." Ace reached, his hands on either side of Sabo’s face and shook him slightly.

Sabo close his eyes, letting the tears slide down his cheeks, but when he looked at Ace again there was determination in his eyes. He gripped Ace’s shirt. "Tell me, Ace. Tell me all about you, about this Luffy, about what we were and what we had."

Ace's throat was dry, but he forced himself to speak. There were so many things he wanted to say, even somethings he didn't get the chance to seven years ago. He almost forgot to breathe, and it was impossible to stop the tears once they fell. Ace started for the very beginning. He spoke about when he was alone in Mount Corbo until Sabo had come along. Told him about how they had decided to become pirates and collect treasure to buy a ship. He moved on to how Luffy had arrived  in their life, his craziness and the way they had become brothers, until Sabo's father had discovered them. His voice trailed off as explained his decision to not go after Sabo, and then he had to force every single word out of his mouth as he told him how they learned of the accident because Sabo’s "death" still affected him greatly.

Sabo didn't interrupt him once. He listened, letting Ace's feeling pass through him. At the end, he let go of Ace's shirt and remained still.

"Could you forgive me?" Ace asked.

"For what?"

"For not coming to take you back from your father. For not hoping you were alive."

Sabo looked at him for a long moment, his breath heavy, and then he hugged him. His hands gripping Ace's shirt once more and his face pressed onto Ace’s shoulder. "Only if you forgive me for having forgotten you and Luffy." Ace's only answer were his hands on Sabo back and head, keeping him close.

They remained like that, hugging, until the tears ended and their breathing calmed. Their feelings were still a mess and they didn't know exactly how to fix themselves. Ace was relieved his brother was alive, healthy, and that Sabo didn't hate him, but at the same time understood that, in some way, Sabo wasn't his brother anymore, not quite. He didn't know how to handle it, or what to tell Luffy, and what he should do from there.

"Can I ask you something, now?"

Sabo chuckled lowly. "Are we still playing truth or dare?"

"We could, but we clearly don't follow the rules."

This time, the atmosphere was a little bit less tense. "Definitely not. Ask anything you want."

"Why do you call him Pops?"

***

Ace knocked at Whitebeard's door. "Please, come in," he heard from inside, so he entered.

If the situation weren’t so serious, Ace would have smirked at Whitebeard's shocked expression. It became even more comical, as Ace asked, "Could I speak to you for a minute?" Whitebeard couldn't be blamed, though; it was the first time Ace was being so polite, and without even try to kill him.

"Sure, son," Whitebeard answered.

 _Son_. It was a word he used very often with his crew, and now Ace understood the meaning. He used it with Ace, too, but for once Ace could appreciate it.

"I've heard the island of San Sebastian is just a week away," Ace began.

"That is correct. We have a meeting there with one of our allies."

Ace had overheard rumors about that too, something that happened with Kaido's men, but that wasn't his main focus. "I'll probably leave the Moby Dick, there, hoping to find a ship or something..." His voice trailed off, and he waited for an answer, but Whitebeard's face had just turned to stone. His eyes didn't turn off of Ace, but instead he just waited. So Ace continued, "Of course I'll be here for Sabo, I want him to recover his memory as much as he wants it..."

Again, no answer, and after his conversation with Sabo, it wasn't too hard to make up his mind. Sabo needed his memory back, now that he knew he had something - someone - he left behind. It wouldn't be easy, but the both of them were determined to find a way. Sabo didn't tell every detail to his crew, but everybody knew there was a special connection between him and Ace, and they accepted it. Of course, he couldn't kill Whitebeard anymore, because Whitebeard was too important to Sabo. He was part of Sabo’s family, so Ace should protect it.

"I'm here to be sure that, if some of my crew wants to remain on the Moby Dick, that there won't be any problems," Ace concluded.

For a long time, Whitebeard just looked at him carefully. Then, finally, he spoke. "Come here, son." He was sitting in his enormous armchair, and he moved aside a little to make a little space, big enough for an average sized person. He patted the space with the hand. "Sit down with me."

"...Okay?" He was unsure, as walked toward Whitebeard, and he felt embarrassed to sit in that armchair, but Whitebeard made it look so normal that, in the end, he got used to it.

"So you want to leave the crew."

"Well, literally speaking, I'm not a part of the crew," Ace replied.

"True. Let me re-elaborate; you want to leave the ship."

"Yes. It's pointless for me to stay here, now that I can't kill you anymore."

"You couldn't kill me anyway," Whitebeard pointed out, amused.

Cunning old bastard, Ace though. "Keep repeating that, and consider yourself lucky."

Whitebeard laughed. "I am." Then he smiled, warmly, and it was amazing how such a dangerous and famous pirate could have such a kind expression. "I'll be sorry if you leave, but you can do whatever you want."

"You didn't give me that impression, since you forced me on board." Ace's tone wasn't aggressive, not anymore, rather it was just amused.

"I brought you aboard, but your stay was never forced. You decided to stay to kill me."

"True, and as I said, now I don't have a reason to anymore."

Whitebeard accepted the conversation to return to Ace’s original point. "Why do you think some of your crew would like to stay here?"

"They were different from me, they actually enjoy staying here," Ace explained. "I haven't asked them yet, not until I'll be sure everything is okay. But I won't be surprised if someone, or all of them, remain."

"I will." Whitebeard took a long breath, and then hugged him. If it could be called a hug, since he was so big his big hand alone basically gently gripped Ace's body. "More, I'm pretty sure none of them will leave you."

"I hope so," Ace admitted. He had built his crew. He chose them and gave them his trust. He didn't want to lose them, even if he could understand why.

"Anyway, there's no problem for me if someone wants to stay. Actually, I'd like you to stay," Whitebeard continued. "You don't have to kill me to stay."

"I have no other reason." Well, Sabo was a big one, but their childhood vow was to maintain their relationship even if they were apart.

Whitebeard sighed. "You really don't like us."

"No," Ace answered, a little too quickly, "It's not that..."

"Then, what is it?"

"...I don't know. I've never thought about it."

The grip on his body was still there, but now the thumb was rubbing in his hair. "You have a week until San Sebastian," Whitebeard said. "Just think about that. About staying. Otherwise, of course you can leave."

"Okay ," Ace murmured, at least, not very convinced. In his plan the conversation would have been a lot easier, with just him telling his plan and then leaving. "I still don't get why you want me so bad."

Whitebeard smiled, before letting him go. "I know you don't. That's one of the reasons."

***

"You're getting better," Ace said, as his pipe collided against Sabo's.

"Yeah," Sabo nodded. He put more strength into his blow, but didn't manage to actually disarm Ace.

So, in a flash, he changed direction, aiming at Ace’s side. Ace was fast enough to move his pipe in vertical position to block the hit. "Still, no luck in actually remembering me using it as child."

The mention of the reason why they were training with the pipes froze Ace for a second, and Sabo hit him. It was a small blow, just a caress in the shoulder, but Ace still sent a condescending smirk in Sabo's direction.

Sabo smiled, the little shit that he was. "I'm serious," he said then. "I'm learning to use this, not remembering."

"Marco said memory works in strange ways." Ace cheered him up. "Maybe you need something particular to trigger it. Or time."

"Maybe," Sabo repeated, not looking convinced. He had tried so many times he hardly had any hope left.

"I'm pretty sure it's gonna be something stupid, like a joke we made once." Ace tried again. "Or maybe we just need to wait for Luffy. You should remember how much trouble being a big brother is," he added, making Sabo laugh. "I'm probably going to join, so we got time."

Sabo blinked. "You're going to join?" His eyes and his mouth were wide opened, in happiness and surprise.

"Maybe. I'm not convinced yet." Ace took an unwilling a step back. It was the first time he had actually admitted it out loud. He had been thinking about it, even before Whitebeard had asked him, but still speaking about it made his thought seem a lot more real, and not just a fantasy. "If I join, I'll be in the Second Division?" he asked, just to change subject.

"Usually it’s Pops that decides that, but it's pretty likely," Sabo answered, that smile not leaving his face. "My Division and Marco's are the ones without a specific duty, but mine is smaller."

Ace nodded. "You know, there was a time I believed you would have been my navigator," he told Sabo. "But then you said you wanted to be a captain, and none of us could imagine ourselves under each other..." Ace smiled at the memory. It was basically the time they had decided to become brothers, to be bound forever. "And now you'll be my captain... sort of."

"Ah, but if you prefer I can ask Pops to put you in another Division..."

Ace shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter anymore."

Sabo studied him, uncertain. "...you aren't going to join just because of me, right?"

"Why do you ask?" Ace stuttered, surprised.

"Because they're my family; this is my family," Sabo said. "You're my brother... but you must be their brother too, if you'd like to join. That's the point. If you prefer you can stay just an ally, but... I don't want people to join just for me. I want you to join because you want to."

Ace smiled slightly. As much as it hurt that Sabo referred to the other pirates as their brothers, he understood. Marco and Sabo himself told him enough, and he could help the ten years of amnesia.

"Don't worry. I would never join a crew without liking all of them," he assured Sabo. "I just need some time to get used to this little brother thing." He was used to being the older one, after all.

"I definitely can help with that!" Sabo laughed.

***

Ace had never been nervous to speak with his crew, not even when he had told them something very stupid. Not even when he had admitted, to everyone's horror, his intention to challenge Whitebeard. But this time, he was nervous. After all, it was the future of his crew they were talking about.

King had gathered all the men on the lower deck, and he was as nervous as Ace. They all probably were, except Regina because she always looked annoyed.

Ace took a deep sigh. "I'm thinking about joining the Whitebeard Pirates," he admitted. He heard very clear the gasp of surprise, but ignored the wide eyes on him and just went on. "I'm not sure yet, but still... I know some of you really like it here."

His gaze stopped briefly on Regina and Jack. "What I mean is that... I won't be your captain anymore if I join, so you can decide for yourself if you'd like to stay or go. At the same time, if I don't join, but some of you would like to stay, I'll be okay with that. I already made sure with Whitebeard that there won’t be a problem with this."

Ace smiled slightly. "I'd like to stay with all of you, of course, but I felt that my last act as a captain should be to let you freely decide what future you’d like." It was a long speech, and he was glad nobody interrupted him. He felt guilty putting his crew in such a situation, since he was their captain and supposed to be the one keeping them together. But since he was the captain, it was his duty to make sure he made the best decision for them.

Regina took a step forward. King noticed, and nodded at Jack and Tennant. They immediately reached for her. Regina tried to avoid them, but they were too fast and managed to clap her arms and bring her back.

"Let me go," she protested, kicking in the air. "I won't be satisfied not until I scratch his eyes out with my own nails!"

King moved aside to evade her kicks, just to be next to Ace, who was looking at the scene with a mixture of incredulity and disgust. "You know, she's always so dramatic, but in some ways I understand her."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked. He was a bad captain, that was for sure, but still he didn't think he deserved to be blinded.

"We're your crew, the Spade Pirates," King stated. "How could you think any of us could leave you? No matter your decision."

Now Ace looked confused. He turned on Regina, who had stopped fighting with Jack and Tennant and now she was just glaring at him. "But she told me you like it here, so I was just thinking about..."

"Oh, how blind could you be. And let me go," Regina hissed. Jack and Tennant freed her, but still watched her closely. "Yes, I like it here. Maybe we could have chosen them, if we didn't meet you. But, as King said, you're our captain. If you stay, we'll stay. If you leave, we'll leave."

The others pirate nodded. They all agreed with that.

Ace swallowed. "I just want to be a good captain, and be sure I make the best decision for you."

"We already did," King said, "When we joined you." And then he hugged Ace, a ball of tears and blubbering that surrounded him, almost swallowing him. "I'm so glad you're back to yourself!"

Slowly, Ace could feel the arms of everyone around him, in a group hug where everyone was trying to prove they supported him, and Ace could help but smile. He had his own problems accepting their loyalty, but he definitely appreciated that their crew would still be his crew, not matter how much the Whitebeard Pirates were better than him.

He lifted his arms to reciprocate the hugs, even if he wasn't sure who exactly he was touching.

"Oh, group hug? Can I participate?"

"Keep the fucking hell out of it, Thatch!"

***

It was the second time Ace was knocking at Whitebeard's door to enter in his private room. This time, he didn't ask anything. He just looked at Ace and then made a little space for him at his side. Ace smiled barely and then sat there. No longer embarrassed to do just that, instead just appreciating the warmth of the gigantic body next to him.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Ace just sat there and sighed. "We'll be in San Sebastian in two days," he said at end.

"That sounds right."

They were silent again for several long moments, until Ace just leaned over, to rest his head on Whitebeard's giant leg. Whitebeard didn't even flinch, just rested his hand on Ace’s shoulder. "Welcome onboard, son."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just some curiosity about the Spade Pirates here. Since Ace is, well, the "Ace" I chose all the other name to be from a card deck. So "King" (he comes from The Seven Deadly Sins), "Regina" (Queen from Once Upon a Time), "Jack" Frost (Disney) and Ten (Doctor Who). Yeah, I suck at making character so I like cameos from other manga, serial etc XD


	4. Second Section - Part 1

 

San Sebastian, despite its name, was covered with a thick mantel of snow. The sky was still cloudy and the wind played with the snowflakes in a reverse snowfall. Ace couldn't really feel the cold, or rather he wasn't harmed by it, but he was still grateful of the freezing breeze. His head was still dizzy from all the partying they had done the last two days.

He understood that his decision to join the crew was something big enough to be celebrating, but they had gone too far. And if Ace said so, they definitely had gone too far. After all, theoretically both Sabo and Ace himself were minors, and not supposed to drink... but they were also pirates so they didn't give a fuck, and they had drank so much Ace was sure he had more rum in his veins than blood.

So now he rested on the railing, trying to clear his head. He heard the voices of his new crewmates leaving the ship for the snowy ground on shore, but only when Sabo was there did Ace stand up and look at them. He wondered if throwing a snowball at one of the Commanders would be a good idea, when the figurative snowball hit him in the face.

Sabo was there, with a satisfied smile in the face. The other men, despite being older pirates, had already joined the battle, and soon enough Ace was there with them, throwing as many snowballs as he could. He didn't need gloves, despite the cold turning the nose and the cheeks of the others being bright pink by now. They could hardly hope to beat someone in a snowball battle if that someone didn't get cold.

The battle stopped only when one of the pirates noticed and announced the arrival of the crew they were waiting for. A brave act that caused him to be buried with snowballs, since everyone thought he had lied to distract them, but he was right, the poor guy. Sabo wiped his red face free from the snow, and stood up to greet them.

"Squardo! How are you?"

"Sabo, it's a pleasure to see you. Snowball battle?"

The two pirates shook hands and patted each other’s shoulders like old mates. "You can join if you like."

"I think I'm gonna pass this time."

Ace was a little behind, but he looked curiously at the crew. He knew that the emperors have a lot of crews under their command - after all, it had been said that in the New World you can survive only if you got the protection of one of them. But it was the first time Ace had met one of the allied crews, especially since he was now actually a part of an emperor's crew; the realization of which was still left him feeling a little uneasy. He went near only when Sabo nodded to him.

"Can I introduce Ace to you? He and his crew just joined us."

"Nice to meet you," Ace said with a smile, offering the allied captain his hand..

Squardo shook his hand, but his face was still on Sabo's. "Joining, joining?" It was more common for crews to become allies. At the same time, it was curious for Whitebeard to ask someone to join him, with how big the crew already was. Ace knew all this very well.

"Yes," Sabo confirmed, and Ace showed, under his open coat, the bandages that covered his newly inked tattoo.

"Wow. Nice to meet you, mate." Finally, Squardo looked at him and he was actually impressed, but happy.

"You know, Ace came from my past." Sabo said, with a lot of enthusiasm. "We're brothers."

Squardo blinked. "Oh." He probably knew about Sabo's amnesia.

"Sworn brothers," Ace specified, with an amused smile. "We definitely aren't alike."

"Oh, well..."

Any other discussion was interrupted by Marco, still on board. "Pops is waiting," he announced. "Are you done with the idle talk?"

Sabo looked at him annoyed, but then sighed. "We're coming." Both him and Squardo looked at Ace, but he shook his head.

"You got work to do. We'll get in touch later." He was the newest in that crew, and he didn't want to be treated better just because one of the Commanders was his brother. He could handle being like everyone else in the crew, so he turned back to the others, ready to restart the snowball battle.

***

Marco wondered if it was really a good idea for Sabo to go around telling everyone that Ace was someone he had met in the past. It wasn't a secret, of course, and in the crew everyone knew, as much as they knew it was just a coincidence because Pops had asked him to join long before finding out about his tie with Sabo.

Still, Marco wondered if their allies would be as cool about that, and if they would give Ace a chance for reasons other than his relationship with Sabo. Luckily, Squardo didn't seem to be fazed by it, only a little bit surprised; which was understandable.

"What?" Sabo looked at Marco, suspicious.

"What what?" Marco replied.

"You got that frown," Sabo pointed out. "The frown that says you're worried."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Sure I am. You almost started a war."

"Hey. It wasn't my fault. Kaido should have better control of his men, that's it."

Marco smirked; of course he was joking. He gentle touched Sabo’s red cheeks, and then arranged his scarf. Sabo pouted, both at the joke and for the act, but he didn't move. "I can dress by myself, you know."

Squardo, who was two steps ahead, chuckled. "Marco is just scared to lose his place as brother."

Sabo blinked. "What do you mean?"

But they reached Pops' office before they could start discuss anything further. Marco wasn't scared. On the contrary, he was happy Sabo had found someone from his past that loved him so much. He was just worried that things could get out of control, which was a normal worry for a big brother. Because yes, Marco was still Sabo's big brother, and also Ace's now.

"Finally," was Izou's way to greet them.

Squardo raised his arms in defense. "Sorry. I got caught in a snowball battle." The other Commanders looked at Sabo, who just shrugged.

"I'm sorry I distracted you from such an important matter," Pops said, with an amused smile. Then his tone became serious. "But I'd like to hear what you know about Kaido's problem before anything else. Then I promise, we'll welcome you better."

"No problem, Pops." Squardo waved his hand in dismissal. "I was just learning about this new guy, Ace, and how it is connected with our Sabo... and I could have some information about-" He stopped, because all the Commanders were looking at him with wide eyes, making him realize the big mistake he had made. But it was too late.

"You got information about me?" Sabo was already beside him. "What kind of information?"

"Nothing really important," Squardo stuttered. "Just something that came to my mind speaking about Ace, but it's not..."

"Tell. Me."

Squardo looked around, searching for some sympathy or help, but none of the Commanders were useful. They just watched, knowing that Squardo put himself in this trouble and in no way Sabo would have let it go now. Marco just nodded, he had better just tell him everything.

"Some rumors... they say that Doflamingo has a peculiar Devil's Fruit user in his crew, a fruit that can read minds."

"And how could that help me?" Sabo was disappointed. Marco was inclined to agree with him: Sabo needed to remember, not have someone else tell him what was in his brain. He already had Ace for that. Still, Marco was relieved. The last thing he wanted was Sabo going after Doflamingo just because of that.

"No idea. I told you it was nothing really important!" Squardo exclaimed.

"Yet you told me."

Squardo sighed, looked at Marco that shook his head. "Yes, because you forced me to do. Still... Devil's fruit got more power to it than that usually. Who knows, maybe it’s able to find your memories and bring them back."

Now Sabo was interested. His eyes were wide, and the others could almost hear his brain working. When he turned his head to look at them, Marco groaned. From the expression on Sabo's face, Marco just knew he had already made up his mind and he was ready to convince the rest of them to approve it. And Marco also knew they would give up soon enough. He wasn’t the only one, just the first one not able to tell Sabo no.

"I think it's worth a try," Sabo said. "Doflamingo lives in Dressrosa, right? Me and Ace could be there in less than a week. Not a very long time."

"Son..." Pops began.

"I know we're in the middle of something with Kaido, but it's nothing you couldn't handle by yourself, right?" He looked directly to Marco, and smirked. Marco rolled his eyes, but didn't speak.

"And I'll be back in no time. Can I go? Pleaseee..."

Marco groaned. With those puppy eyes, there was no way any of them could tell Sabo not to go. He looked at Pops' face, just to find out that even he has already surrendered.

"Go, son. I only hope you won't be disappointed."

"And don't pick a fight with Doflamingo, yoi!" Marco yelled to him. They definitely couldn't afford to be at war both with Kaido and the Government. But Sabo had already left the room.

Marco only sighed.

***

Ace didn't like Dressrosa. That was his conclusion after only a couple hours after arriving there. Everything looked fake, starting with their king. True pirates held a grudge against Warlords, but for Doflamingo things were even worse, and not just because of his attitude. Pirates weren't supposed to be king - not in that way. Still, they should speak with him and spend time on the island, two things that didn't make Ace very happy. Luckily, the hope to recover Sabo's memory was enough to keep him on the line.

"So, what is your plan?" Ace asked Sabo, as they finished their meal in the restaurant of the hotel they had chosen as their base.

"I wonder..." Sabo burped. "I mean, it's fairly impossible Doflamingo will be just okay with it, even if we ask him nicely. I'm wondering if the better solution isn’t to just wait for him to find us."

"Well, we definitely didn't keep a low profile." Ace stated and then nodded at the enormous pile of dirty dishes they had on their table.

Sabo smiled. "We got nothing to hide, but, at the same time, maybe it'll be better to surprise him before he gets the chance to realize we're here."

"And, I have to admit, I'd like to turn back sooner than later," Ace stated. He had officially joined a few days ago and he hated to leave the crew already. "Waiting for him could take days."

"Or weeks. He's a smart son of a bitch." Sabo leaned on his chair. "So my plan is to just smash the front door of his palace and ask him for a meeting."

Ace looked at Sabo’s satisfied smirk in awe. "And I used to be the reckless one."

"Is that a yes?"

Ace didn't answer, but smiled, so Sabo jumped up and stormed out of the restaurant with Ace following soon after.

The palace was at the top of a small hill, and it had a good overview of its surroundings. They walked around to check for a weak point to use. Ace was sure they could handle all the guards all together, but that would take time he wasn't willing to spend. So, when they arrived at the steepest part of the hill, he grabbed Sabo's arm.

"Do you mind a flight?"

Sabo looked at him, curious. "I got Marco as brother, but he rarely lets me fly, so I'm all for it."

"Hang on tight." Ace didn't inform him that Marco had taken him for a flight, because it had just been a poor excuse to kidnap him. He focused on his current plan instead, considering his target as laid both palms on the ground and then with a sudden rush of fire shot himself and Sabo up into the air.

It wasn't a move he used often, mostly because it was hard to control the fall, but it definitely was useful in this kind of situation. Maybe he really should learn to control it better. They were shot high into the air, so high they could see the entire palace from their distance.

"Here," Sabo pointed to an area of the palace. "I felt their presence."

Ace angled the fire to steer them and make sure they were above the place Sabo had identified, then stopped the flow of fire. As they started falling, they separated from each other to prepare themselves for their landing. They hit the ground with a loud boom and rush of dirt and dust filling the air, a small crater surrounding their impact point.

"Oh, sorry," Sabo said, with a casual tone that made it clear he wasn’t. "I'd like to meet the king, but I'm not really into etiquette, so I just skip the formality."

Doflamingo laughed. "But you sure don't skip the drama. Really nice show, I have to admit." He didn't look as surprised as he should be, but the amount of flame Ace had used had been a definite giveaway of their arrival. Still, Ace was sure that his calmness was a very good act, because the rest of his crew looked concerned, ready to attack.

"What do the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... and Fire Fist Ace?" Doflamingo looked at Ace from under his glasses, his smirk still in his face. "Well, now I know why we haven't gotten any news from you recently."

Ace blinked, a little surprised, but then smirked. "Yeah, I've been busy; nice to know that my career is followed, even by a Warlord."

"It's hard not to, after your refusal of joining us."

"Well, he chose a better group," Sabo chipped in, in an almost possessive tone. "Now, can we speak about business... alone," his gaze now on the guards, prostitutes, and the other members of Doflamingo’s crew.

"You got a very powerful bodyguard and I can't keep one?" Doflamingo stated, wryly, but didn't seem either worried or upset. He kept smiling, and then nodded to those around him. "Go." As everyone left the garden, Doflamingo returned his attention to them and spread his arms. "Now we're alone."

Sabo took a few minutes before speaking. "I've heard you have, in your crew, someone that can read minds, and I'd like to borrow him."

Doflamingo became quickly serious. "Well, I can't confirm I have such an interesting power... but if I did, why would you want it?"

"I want him to read in my mind."

Now Doflamingo was surprised. "Well, if that isn't an unusual request. I wonder..."

"None of your business," Ace interrupted. Sabo was uneasy, he could feel it. He didn't know how many people outside of the crew were aware of his condition, but he was sure Doflamingo wasn't on the list and, at least for now, wouldn't be. "Either you have someone with that power, or not; if you do, then give us your price, or we're both wasting our time."

Doflamingo smirked. "So it is better to be a bodyguard than a government dog, I suppose," he commented. "I'll think about that and let you know," he added, after the glare Ace threw him. It didn't scare him, Ace knew, but still would get on his nerves.

"Think fast. We don't have much time," Sabo stated confirming Ace’s earlier statement. "Let's go." He regretted ordering Ace a second later, given the satisfied smirk Doflamingo shot them, but Ace didn't mind. Sabo was a Commander for a reason and he respected that. He accepted the deal of a new Captain and of a Commander when he had decided to join the Whitebeard Pirates and he was okay with that.

As they left the palace, neither spoke. They had done nothing wrong, but still having to deal with someone so dirty as Doflamingo definitely made them uneasy. Ace would be happy when and only when they were the hell off of the damn island.

***

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Ace was sitting at the counter, and turned his head to see the young man who was pointing at the free chair next to him. "No, no problem." Ace inspected him, wondering if Doflamingo sent someone to check on them, or if he was just searching for a place to drink.

"I'm Jonas," he introduced himself.

"Ace." His handshake was firm, but not hard. Ace decided to trust him, for now.

"So, can I offer you something to drink?"

"Actually..."

In that same moment, Sabo came back with two glasses in his hands. "Got them!" He noticed Jonas and frowned.

Ace smiled. "That was what I was trying to say."

"Oh. I didn't know you had already company. Sorry."

"Well, you could stay... Sabo, may I introduce..."

But Jonas left the chair and went back to the table he was sitting at before without a word. Ace felt a little disappointed; even if he could now be sure Jonas wasn't a spy for Doflamingo.

Sabo sat down next to him and passed him one of the glasses. "You did notice he was hitting on you, didn’t you?"

"Really?" Ace turned his head to look at Jonas; he had already joined another table. "Well, too late, I suppose."

"Was it your first time?"

"No, it happened before." Ace drank his glass and sighed. "But sometimes it was hard understand if they really wanted fuck me or just arrest me."

Sabo laughed. "One of the problems being a pirate."

"Yeah..." Ace smiled slightly. "And besides I never get why people would hit on me."

"That's because you're hot," Sabo stated, as a matter of fact.

"You think so?"

"Yep." He was smiling behind the glass. "You got a nice, muscular body, with a nice ass. Piercing black eyes, mild face, and those freckles..."

"Okay, that's enough," Ace interrupted him, slightly flushed on his cheeks. "That's kinda embarrassing."

"Hey, you asked for it." Sabo was clearly amused.

"I’ve made a lot of mistake in my life." But he was smiling too. "I will trust you about my hotness, but please let's not talk about this anymore."

"As you wish." Sabo moved his glass, the ice tinkling. He didn't want the argument to end, but he didn't know how to go on either. "Don't you recognize attraction?" he asked, at last.

"Not really. I mean, I can like someone, but I don't really grasp the concept of beauty." Ace was speaking with a nostalgic tone. "Maybe it was because I grew up in a forest, and I really didn't have much time to think about that before reaching the Grand Line."

"And after?"

"Neither, actually." Ace stopped a little, to think about that. "I had sex with some people I liked, and I enjoyed it, but it's not something I search for. I'm not the one starting it, so physical appearance is not something I pay much attention to."

"I see."

"What about you?"

"Well..." Sabo sighed, as he leaning on his chair. "I lived in a crew of one thousand and six hundred men, all of them with their own preferences. They all gave me vivid examples of said preferences, so I got to decide what exactly I like."

Ace smiled. They definitely had different experiences in life. Ace didn't mind too much, since he was something they accounted for when they had decided to become brothers. The problem was Sabo having all his experiences, but without his previous memories.

"Hey, what about you and me?"

"You and me what?"

"Having sex. It could be fun."

"Oh." Ace looked at Sabo’s hopeful expression, and felt bad. Again, the difference that ten years without memory made were showing. "I'm sorry, Sabo, but I won't feel very comfortable with it. I like you, but..."

Sabo understood immediately. "Oh, sure. Sorry. That was inappropriate."

"It's fine, don't worry."

They remained in silence, drinking from their glass. Ace still felt a little embarrassed, but more than that he was reflecting about growing up with Sabo in Goa. That definitely would have helped with explaining things to Luffy, but at the same time Ace wondered how much their relationship would have been different. He liked this Sabo, and he was his Sabo nevertheless. But still, differences were there, and Ace should just accept them.

Breaking the silence was one of Doflamingo's men, coming into the pub searching for them.

"Young Master will see you. Please come with me." It was the distraction they both needed, so they hurried after him.

"That was fast," Ace commented. "Maybe too fast."

Sabo nodded, but said nothing. They followed the man back to the palace.

That second time, Doflamingo met them in the throne room. He wasn't alone, the jelly looking man from before was sitting next to him, but Sabo decided to pay no attention to him. It was highly likely that the man already knew everything. He waited for the man that had accompanied them to leave, and didn't sit down in the armchair Doflamingo gestured to.

"So?"

"There something I need to do, but I can't leave the island, nor send any of my crew for," Doflamingo began. "It's not something I can entrust to just anyone, but we can make an agreement... with the little mind reader you'd like as the payment."

"What's this something?"

Doflamingo nodded to his man, who advanced a few meters, close enough to pass Sabo a piece of paper. Ace came closer to look at it over Sabo’s shoulder. It was a bounty of a boy with very angry eyes. Ace read the name: Trafalgar Law. Ace didn’t recognize him, and he checked the bounties from time to time. It was important to gather information about rivals, so it probably meant that this Law wasn't someone very famous right now. Even his bounty was very low.

Sabo raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"This boy is a member of my family," Doflamingo said. "I thought the marines had arrested him some time ago, then that happened. I'd like to have him back."

"By force, I suppose."

"No, I don't think it'll be necessary. He used to be very loyal, just put his trust in the wrong person." Doflamingo realized he was talking too much, and he cut himself off suddenly. "Anyway, he's trying to come back, but that could take years. With you as guide, he'll be here in no time."

"Where is he now?"

"West blue." Doflamingo faked a sigh. "I know it'll be strange for a Whitebeard Commander to leave the Red Line, but it is something I really need... and that will make me really cooperative."

Ace didn't like the idea of traveling so far. Not that his striker couldn't make the distance, but he had been in the New World for just few months, and in the Whitebeard's crew for only a few days. He'd like some time to settle in, but Sabo just nodded.

"Okay."

So Ace didn't have a word in the matter.

"I'm glad we have an agreement," Doflamingo chuckled happily. Everything about that man was fake and irritating. "So, just to celebrate this... Violet, please."

Both Ace and Sabo had felt the presence of the woman as they had entered the room, but now they got the chance to look at her as she approached Doflamingo. She was a beautiful woman, with a dance dress, but her expression was cold, of stone. Ace guessed she wasn't happy at all, but he couldn't get if the reason was their presence or something else.

"Violet, dear, would you please read this gentleman's mind for me?" Doflamingo touched her back casually, and she froze before barely nodding minutely.

"Now?" Sabo's tone was a little too surprised, but he was caught off guard. Even Ace didn't expect Doflamingo to give up so easily.

"Just a little, to show that she really have this power, and my good will."

Ace looked at Violet as she put her hands in a strange position around her eyes, and he shivered. For the first time since Sabo dragged him in this adventure, he reflected on just how dangerous having Sabo’s mind read by someone else was. She could find out about Luffy. Worse, she could find about his father, something Ace had kept hidden carefully.

Definitely not information Ace wanted to give to a creepy man like Doflamingo. Still, it was Sabo's desire, so he couldn't let his personal fear interfere. He just stood there, waiting for Violet to do her magic.

"No, it's okay," Sabo interrupted, waving his hand. That caught Violet off guard, who stopped and looked at Doflamingo perplex. "I trust you to respect your part of the agreement when we come back."

Even Ace was surprised, but didn't ask anything, but just followed Sabo out of the room, ignoring the piercing gaze Doflamingo was shooting them. Sabo didn't stop, not until they were far away from the palace. Only then, did Ace notice how tightly he was squeezing Law's bounty.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do it."

"Do what?" Ace turned Sabo around to look at him in the eyes.

"In my mind... there's a lot of things. Pops' health, strengths and weakness of my brothers, the positions of our territories and our allies..." Sabo began. "I don't want anyone to know those. Especially someone like Doflamingo, so, when that woman came out... I panicked."

Ace felt bad. He had thought about his secret, but not Sabo's. No matter how much Sabo didn't remember, there were still seven years of memories that had the same importance as the ones he had lost. Ace snatched the bounty from Sabo’s hand and burned it in a flash of flames.

Sabo's eyed widened, as he watched the ashes fallen as black snow. "But... How can I..."

"It's okay. We'll find another way."

"Marco and the others searched for years..."

"They are not me, but even if you don't remember... It's fine." Since Sabo was looking at him in shock and disbelief, Ace sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to remember... but I believed you were dead. You're not. You being alive is more important to me than everything else." and he meant it. Ace was shocked when he had found out about Sabo's amnesia, but everything was less important than the realization that his brother was alive. Alive. He has a second chance with him, a second chance Ace wasn't going to waste and let Sabo down.

"I understand your point," Sabo muttered. "But it's hard not to remember, especially after what you told me..."

"We'll find a way. But we can't sacrifice our family for it."

As the word 'our family' Sabo smiled. "Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. Never. Can you wait a little bit more?"

"Sure. Let's go home, shall we?"

 


	5. Second Section - Part 2

 

The Striker ploughed through the blue sea, causing a large spray of water in its wake. Ace sat down in his own fire, while Sabo sat down with his back against the mast, legs crossed to avoid the flame.

"Uh-oh."

Sabo opened his eyes. "That doesn't sound like a good uh-oh."

"Do you know any good uh-oh?" Ace replied. He waited for Sabo to rest his hands on Ace’s shoulder, before nodding to the big vessel in front of them. It wasn't the three-masted ships size that worried him, or the row of big cannons ready to shot, but the jolly roger… Kaido's jolly roger.

"Uh-oh," confirmed Sabo.

"Doesn't sound good either," Ace said, a little amused. He reduced his fire. "I'm still not used to this political game... But am I wrong in thinking the pirate emperors are in a sort of cold war? They shouldn't attack us." Not that it would be a problem; Ace was pretty grateful ships were made of wood, because they burned with hardly any effort on his part.

"You're not wrong, but..." Sabo bit his lip, his eyes fixed on the vessel.

"Not a good but, right?"

"We're kinda in a crisis with Kaido right now." Sabo sighed and then leaned again against the mast. "You remember I was away from the Moby Dick when you challenged Pops?"

"Yes."

"I was on a mission, because one of our territories was under attack by a new crew of pirates." Sabo explained. "It happens from time to time; pirates arrive in the New World thinking things work the same as in Paradise, but they don't, and they learn it the hard way."

Ace chuckled. "Oh, really?" It was something he had learned the hard way too.

"Sorry, too long of an explanation," Sabo smiled. "Anyway, I beat them as usual. We found out later, that crew was actually a new ally of Kaido’s... who, in response, sank one of our allied crews."

"Good job!" Ace exclaimed.

Sabo pouted. "It wasn't my fault! They didn't identify themselves, and each ally of an emperor should know not to attack another emperor's territories. They were just being jerk."

Ace looked at Sabo's childish expression, amused; it reminded him a lot of Luffy's. Hey, wasn't Sabo supposed to be the one to keep him and Luffy in line? Maybe every little brother is like Luffy, but then he shook his head; nobody could be like Luffy.

"Okay, their good job then," Ace said. "But now?"

"That's the point. Pops didn't want a war with Kaido, and I'm pretty sure Kaido doesn't want one either, but at this point it’s a matter of pride."

"I get it. Kaido shouldn't have attack our ally, so it was his fault. Now, we're not even with him."

"But, at the same time, Pops doesn't like the idea of going on with this feud. He'd definitely prefer to resolve things as soon as possible."

Ace nodded. He wasn't used to these politic things. Before the New World he was sure pirates just went around being free. Instead, Pirate Emperors had territories and vassals, and, as a proud member of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace needed to behave accordingly with this new policy.

"What if we make ourselves welcomes on that ship?" Ace proposed. "I mean, someone has to talk with them, right?"

Sabo looked at him and then grinned. "And I'd like this someone to be me. I don't appreciate creating problems just because others are idiots."

Ace smiled, then his flames rising again, taking Striker near the ship. As soon as they approached the ship, cannons started shooting; there wasn’t even a warning shot, or something else to give them an opportunity to show their good intentions. The numerous cannons were all aimed at them.

"Well, at least now we knew Kaido's position." Sabo rose up, but Ace stopped him, his arm on his chest.

"I'll handle this."

Ace fed his fire, managing to speed up the striker enough to slide between the cannon balls. For the ones they couldn't avoid, his flame spears did the trick to defend them just as well. Ace created them with both hands, taking care with his aim. He wanted to hit the balls, not the ship firing them. Not he would mind doing damage to it, but he would have time for that later. For now, the Kaido pirates were safe. Later, if things went badly, Ace could still burn down the entire ship.

Sabo didn't need a warning as soon as they were close to the ship, in a spot were the cannons couldn't reach them anymore, he jumped. Ace followed him soon after, with the rope of the Striker in one hand. They both landed right on the bow, some of the crew were ready for them their pistols, rifles, and swords aimed at the two intruders.

While Sabo looked just annoyed, Ace was mostly indifferent. He tied the rope of his Striker at the rail behind them paying the enemies no attention. He was not so going to lose it in the ocean, but, just swinging his hand, he managed to create little fireflies that flickered out toward the surrounding pirates, blowing up all their weapons, and warming the blades to the point that they were dropped to the deck in a clatter.

Before Sabo could speak - not that he was really was willing to do so... a fight would have suited him better - a loud voice came from behind the gathered pirates. "Enough!" The pirates split in two groups, to leave the center of the deck free for her to walk. She stopped right before Ace and Sabo, a couple of meters away, but since Sabo smiled watching at her, Ace shifted behind him to guard his back.

Ace studied the woman. She was probably in her middle-thirties, but really skinny. The fact that she was dressed only with a short white shirt and an even shorter black skirt didn't help to cover her skinny form: no bust at all and her ribs were showing. Still, her legs appeared muscular, strapped in very tall boots, with very high and sharp heels Ace wondered how she could actually walk.

Red hair divided in two low tails left her angular face completely free , with a pointed chin and a squashed nose. Her eyes were big, with thin pupils, and when she smiled, her white fang showed.

Ace recognized her straight away: Circe dei Vicoli, one of the best men (woman) of Jack the Draught from the Three Calamity of Kaido. In Whitebeards dictionary, it was almost as good as speaking with a Commander.

"I'm sorry for the poor welcome," she said, almost purring. "My men told me a rookie was attacking us." Her gaze shifted to Ace, before turning in Sabo.

"No offence taken," replied Sabo. His smile was a little tense. "I guess Ace joining us isn't general knowledge yet."

"At all," Circe confirmed. "It seems you got a nice addition there."

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing for you."

Circe sighed. "With all the pirate wannabes around here, one can’t be too picky. But yeah, they were idiots. Actually, most of our men are but, well, intelligence isn't the only value."

"So, you can agree it's useless to waste our time for such idiots?"

"Oh, you're here for that..." she said, annoyed. "Fine. Come with me." And when Sabo hesitated, she added: "You want to risk Marines to see us? They'll piss themselves if they see us talking."

"Oh, well... If you put it that way." Sabo smiled, and Ace followed him. He didn't care about the Marines at all, but it could be fun to see them freaking out.

"Disgusting," Circe spat out.

"Do you got any food?"

Circe's gaze was firmly on Ace, though she spoke directly to Sabo. "Does he eat as much as you?"

"Yes." Sabo's expression was apologetic, but not as much as he could be.

"We'll manage." She rolled her eyes then she disappeared in the lower deck. The pirates on deck looked at Ace and Sabo with glares, but the two Whitebeard pirates paid them no attention. They used the path Kaido’s crew’s earlier split had made and followed Circe.

She seated them in her private office, which was big enough for a table meant for eight people. Circe sat and let them decide which seat they preferred. Sabo went straight for the one in across from her, and nodded at Ace to sit next to him. None of them speaking until the food was served. Ace admitted Circe didn't hold back as she dug into the food.

"Can I trust it isn't poisoned?" he asked, but Sabo simply smiled. A second later their mouths were already full of food, while Circe just rolled her eyes.

"Wonderful meal!" said Ace at the end. He burped, then he stood up and bowed. "Thank you."

"Some manners, finally!" Circe raised a perplexed eyebrow to look at him, then she turned her attention back to Sabo. "In my opinion, there's nothing to talk about. You sank one of ours, we sank one of yours. We're even."

"We're not," Sabo replied. "Yours were attacking one of our territories. I had every right to sink them. And no, idiocy isn't an excuse."

"Okay, okay." Circe was annoyed again. "But nobody knows, so, why bother? You don't want to start a war, don't you?"

"But nobody knows the crew Sabo beat up was yours, right?" Ace interrupted. "It means, for everyone including the Marines, it looks you're the one that wanted to start a war."

Circe was uncertain. She looked at him, eyebrow raised with a bit of surprise. "...it would be."

"And, if we don't react, it'll seem that the Whitebeard Pirates aren't strong enough to give back a punch," Ace continued. "So, which one is it? Do you want to start a war or do you want to make us look weak?"

"Or none of them and everything is just a big coincidence," Circe replied. "You're assuming things."

"I am," Ace confirmed. "What I'm not going to assume here... is our reaction." He leaned toward her. Now her black pupils were big in the soft light, and she wasn't blinking. "We're not going to let it slide, and you better watch your back if you don't settle this."

Circe diverted her gaze from Ace, looking at the painting hung up behind her desk. Then, she returned her attention to Sabo, who was slightly amused. "And how do you suggest we settle things?"

"My best suggestion is for us to defeat one of your allies." Sabo sighed. "We'll be kind enough to let you decide who. Maybe someone who isn't useful anymore? Your choice; you have an army, it’s no one you can't replace in the future."

"Oh, very convenient," Circe snorted. "You keep your pride intact and we... the reputation of being prone to war?"

"I thought you already had that," Ace commented, with a big smile. In response, he got a glare from her and a kick under the table from Sabo.

"Accidents happen. If we end in this way, it'll just look like a mistake from both parts," Sabo explained.

"Unless you really would like us to show weakness... which could only lead to being... well, still not very convenient for you."

"Very nice assuming you could beat us... I actually would like you to try." Circe smiled, revealing her white fangs again. "Still, I'm tired of this story. We didn't plan anything... yet. So I'll talk with my boss and see what we can do. Would you like to stay for the night?"

***

Ace sank happy in the bed. Well, it wasn't really a bed, more like a stockpile of pillows. They were so big a man could lie down on one of them with ease, and really soft. As much as Ace loved his Striker, it wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. And even realizing he shouldn't be so carefree on a rival ship, he was sure he could fall asleep in any minute.

Sabo lied down next to him. "You bluffed," he said. Then, he glanced around, as worried someone may be listening to them, then he turned his face back to Ace and smiled. "You totally did! You knew Pops wanted to end this as soon as possible."

"Well, maybe a little bit," Ace admitted. He was satisfied with how their negotiation went. "But is it true, right? Pops won't leave the harm of one of his go unpunished."

Sabo bent his head. "Yes... but a war isn't something we're looking for. Still, good job." And then he punched Ace softly in the arm.

Ace smiled and began to respond to the attack, he remembered clearly how things usually went back then, in their little shelter, when they fought even before bedtime, to become stronger and stronger. But touching him, Ace's mind recalled what Sabo had said to him in Dressrosa about them having sex. That had been embarrassing.

Was it okay for them to sleep together in the same bed - sorry, pillow? But then Ace scoffed at everything. Sabo was his brother and his crewmate; there was nothing to be ashamed of. Still, the moment was lost and Ace sank again in the pillow. Sabo looked at him curious, but said nothing.

"It is okay for us to sleep here?" Ace asked. "I'm not sure they would try something, but still..."

"Yeah, better stay on guard," Sabo nodded. "I’ll take the first watch, you go to sleep."

"Why me?" Nor that it really mattered, but he was used to being the one to remain awake for first watch.

"Well, I figured you're tired, after driving the Striker all day," Sabo said. "And it's time you learn what being a little brother means."

Ace chuckled. "Which is funny, because I'm the older one between the two of us."

"Seriously?" Sabo had a very funny face, half surprised-half horrified.

"Yes!" Ace's soft chuckle became a full laugh. "You're three months younger than me."

"Damn." Sabo snorted and spread his arms on the pillow. "I can't believe I'm the little brother even when I'm not supposed to be!"

"Well, Luffy is the little brother, not me. If it’s anything, we're even. The two big brothers." And that was the most amazing thing out of everything for Ace. They weren't conventional, because they didn't care. Ace never asked for a big brother, or to be little brother to someone else. Sabo was just his brother, same as him.

Still, Ace now had a lot of new big brothers, a new crew with a new captain, and he need to get used to all the different things his new position brought. "But you're a Commander."

"And what is this about?" Sabo replied, annoyed.

"That despite you being younger by age, you're older in terms of experience and position," Ace explained, amused, but at the same time proud, "Your... Our big brothers rely on you, and on your decisions. Pops chose you because you can do the job, right?"

"Right..." Ace was about to ask him how things had gone when he was nominated, but then Sabo added: "Then you should have let me deal with Circe."

The tone was amused, but Ace still froze a little. Back then, he hadn't thought about it much. He got to the point of the entire problem about the clash with Kaido and had acted accordingly. Just as if he was the captain he used to be. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"I was kidding..."

"Yeah, but that's not the point," Ace replied. "I'm a Whitebeard Pirate now. I need to act as one. Which also means respect the Commanders and their authority, as I trust Pops'. I already respect the capacities of you all, but it's hard to forget I'm not a captain anymore."

Sabo smile softened. "We're a family. We need Commanders to keep thing in order, but other than that... and you did well with Circe. You should be a Commander too."

"Well, I hope so. We'll be even again then." Ace smiled again, then turned his back to him and settled himself better on the pillow. "But for now... I'll take my place as little brother and sleep without feeling guilt."

"That was your plan from the beginning, right?" Sabo was laughing. "Okay, I'll wake you up in five or six hours. Just remember... If you ever see a red cat, shoot it."

"Why?"

"Because it looked like Circe wanted to slash your throat open, and her claws have Haki."

***

Blinking, Ace woke up feeling a strange current of air tickling his face. He was supposed to be awake and on guard, but he had made the mistake of eating the fruits that were in the room to distract himself from becoming bored, and the narcolepsy had hit him hard.

But then, as always happened after collapsing while eating, Ace came completely awake and saw with horror the red cat sitting on him, its furry muzzle hovering over him, smelling his nose. He remembered what Sabo told him, and immediately flames erupted from his face and torso. He jumped to his feet soon after, ready to fight.

After jumping off of him before getting burned, the cat rushed elegantly near the door of the room. Only then, with enough space between her and Ace, the cat turn back into Circe.

"I suggest you to do something to keep your rage in control," she commented, annoyed, a frown on her face.

The commotion woke Sabo up, who emerged from the pillow with a very sleepy expression, his long hair no longer collected together neatly, was a mess around his head. As he saw Circe, though, he jumped off the pillows and rushed to stand next to Ace, completely awake.

"What do you want?" he asked. His voice was still a little hoarse, but his eyes were alert.

"You know, you're not nice at all," she protested. "I worked all night for you." The two boys just raised an eyebrow, the timing was so perfect it looked they were twins. Circe scoffed before reaching for her bags. An Eternal Pose was soon in her hand, and she kept it held high with the tips of her fingers, as it was something precious. "It points to an island not very distant from here, one of the few still under the World Government."

Sabo and Ace said nothing. They both understood she was giving them information slowly, but it was better to follow her lead in order to understand what she meant.

"It's a little island, not very interesting. It got a thermal bath, but that's all." she explained. "We have information that one of our allies, the Black Tulip Crew, will reach it in few days." She seemed unnerved by the way Ace and Sabo didn't ask anything, but she had no other choice than go ahead. "We're... about to end out relationship with them."

In the end, Sabo spoke. "So you're asking us to defeat them for you, and for everyone else out there it'll then look like we're even."

"Yes." Circe threw the Eternal Pose at them, and Ace caught it. He passed it from hand to hand, uncertain. "Master Kaido wasn't happy, but he understands this is the best plan of action. It's up to you to accept or decline." And then, with a shrug and one last glare, she turned back into her cat form. "Now, please leave. This cease-fire will not last long."

"No breakfast?" Ace asked. In the middle of this negotiation, it seemed a very unusual request, but he was hungry. And his face was so innocent, Sabo couldn't help but smile. Besides, he was hungry too.

"You finished all our supplies yesterday."

***

Sabo had doubts about their agreement with Kaido’s crew. His first response would be to follow Circe's plan and kick that Black Tulip crew's ass, hoping to resolve the controversy with Kaido once and for all, as well as amending his own mistake. On the other hand, there was the possibility that Circe was just playing with them, so before acting on this plan, Sabo needed to ask Pops for permission.

He still had some time to think about it. The Black Tulips weren't yet in town, and Circe hadn't asked them to defeat them right away. Ace and Sabo could follow them to another island before attacking them, if they even decided to do so.

In the meantime, he and Ace could enjoy a little break. Ace had only been to a hot spring once, so Sabo suggested they rest in an Onsen. However, for such a small, and not well known island, there were a lot of tourists, and they were having a little trouble finding a place to stay.

They reached the end of the town, where the maple forest began, only to find a small Onsen which had definitely seen better times. Ace shrugged.

"It reminds me Dadan's house," he said, then glanced to Sabo. "Dadan is..."

"Yeah, I know, you told me about her," Sabo assured him, with a small smile. "We can see if they have a room for us."

"I'll go," Ace offered, with a smile. He straightened his yellow shirt and hat, before disappearing into the run down hotel. Sabo waited outside, watching the surroundings carefully. Circe had told him the island was part of the World Government, but no Marines had been in sight. Still, it was best to be careful. He used his Observation Haki to check if there was anyone strong in the town, and he was surprised to feel someone powerful coming from the sky.

Since Ace was still inside, he moved just a few steps out into the open to look up at the sky, where there was no trees to block his vision. The sun was bright, so Sabo lift his hand to shield his eyes And it was then he spotted a black something diving down in his direction. Sabo took a step back, hiding in the shadow of the trees, ready to attack. However, once the sun wasn’t half blinding him, he recognized who the black something was. He moved out onto the main path once more and waited for him to land.

"Hi," he said with a smile when Marco regained his human form in front of him. "I suppose you're not here for a casual visit."

Marco wasn't as happy or relaxed as Sabo. "What are you doing here, yoi?" he asked, without even a greeting. "This island isn't on Dressrosa's route."

Sabo was surprised. Marco had followed his travels away from the Moby Dick only once, the first time Sabo had left on a mission alone. After that, he had trusted him enough to not worry about his late arrivals or his sudden change of plans "No, well... we're finished in Dressrosa and so we made a side-stop before returning home."

"Why?"

"Ace would like to go at the hot springs." It was a blatant lie, but Sabo kept a straight face and crossed his arms. Marco needed to stop to treating him like a child right now, and it was a pleasure he watched to Marco’s perplexed face, as he realized he had worried over nothing.

"Oh... Okay then."

Ace came back at that moment. "Hey, I found a room! ...Marco?" he added, not expecting to see him. "What are you doing here?"

Before Marco could answer, Sabo chirped in. "He's checking on the children in the park."

Ace snorted. "We can handle ourselves, you know?"

Sabo chuckled. Marco's exhausted expression was priceless. "No, he doesn't. Get used to it."

Ace shrugged, and Marco had enough. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Sabo's neck, covering his mouth with his hand to silence him; completely ignoring all the kicks Sabo was throwing at him to get free. Ace looked at the scene, asking himself if he should intervene, but Marco spoke first.

"I know you can handle yourself, but that doesn't prevent me from worrying about you. You will get use to it... and you also should understand, yoi."

"Oh, well..." Ace did understand, having dealt with Luffy for so many years. "I think I do," he admitted, and ignored the betrayed look Sabo was giving him. Not that Ace could help it, Sabo knew enough to know he was the little brother.

"Good," Marco said, and smiled. He released Sabo, who didn't miss the opportunity to kick him one last time. "Now, would you please tell me about Dressrosa? Was it just a rumor about the mind-reading-devil-fruit?"

Sabo and Ace exchange a look. "Not really..." Sabo murmured, realizing it was time to tell Marco what had happened with Circe too. "Why don't you stay with us? We have something to talk about."

"Well, of course I'm not going until you’ve told me everything."

"Great, I'll go ask if they have an extra spot for us," Ace said, smiling at Marco. Sabo sighed. He hadn’t asked, but was Ace okay with Marco staying with them?

As soon as Ace was again inside the Onsen, Marco spoke: "I guess you don't have your memory back." He wasn't looking at him, but at the door where Ace had disappeared a moment before.

"Not yet." Then, Sabo smiled in realization. "I get it."

"What?" Marco turned to him a second later. His eyebrow was raised, confused.

"You weren't worried, you were jealous," Sabo stated. There was satisfaction in his voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Marco, you'll always be my favorite brother. Yes, Ace is Ace, but that doesn't change anything." Ace came from his past, even if Sabo didn't remember, but Marco had been his big brother for seven years, years that Sabo wouldn't erase just because there was someone else in his past. No matter how important Ace was to him.

Marco shook his head. "Now you're imagining things, yoi." But he didn't argue, and he didn't look amused either.

"Hey, guys, they have a room for all of us!" Ace put his head outside the door and nodded at them to join him.

"We're coming," Marco said immediately, relieved. Sabo smiled, and he followed him in the hotel.

***

Marco sat on a small rock, his head resting on the bank, his body only half immersed in the water so he wasn’t completely affected by it. Sabo put himself at his side, without saying anything. When Marco looked at him, he smiled innocently.

"What? I'm spending some time with my dear big brother."

Marco looked annoyed. "You're not going to stop with this story, are you?"

"Nope." Sabo laughed. "Now you know how I feel about the all little kid teasing, old man."

"Fair enough," Marco admitted, with a slight smile.

Silence fell upon them, and they rested in the hot water, enjoying the warmth and the company. It was unusual to find such a calmness on the Moby Dick, so it was a nice change; but, at the same time, it felt strange.

"What do you think about this thing with Kaido?" Sabo asked. When he had told him, Marco hadn't looked convinced, but since he hadn't immediately said no, he was probably thinking about it.

"Just that I don't want to be used by them," Marco answered. "I'm gonna call the others to ask them for information... First thing, let's find out just who these Black Tulip Pirates are."

Sabo nodded. He agreed with him, and even if would like to kick some ass; he tried to hold himself back.

"Ah, here you are!" Ace was at the bank on the other side of the spring, naked, and waving in their direction. He had fallen asleep in his meal, so Marco and Sabo had left him to rest in their room. Well, it was Sabo's idea, a plan to make Marco stop being jealous of him.

"Hey!" Sabo greeted him back. "Join us, the water is amazing."

"I need to shower," Ace replied, but came closer following the bank. "I just want to show Marco something."

Marco was curious and turned to look at him, as if before that moment, he was not paying attention at all.

"My tattoo." Ace smiled, and then turned around so Marco could have a good look at Whitebeard's jolly roger that covered his entire back. Sabo's lips curved in a smile. He had already seen it as he was the one to remove the bandages when they had travelled towards Dressrosa, but Ace was so damn proud of it! Sabo was relieved by the proof again of how much Ace loved his family and not just him.

"So?"

"It's amazing."

At that exchange, Sabo scrutinized Marco's face and froze, his mouth half open. He didn't recall ever having seen that expression. Marco was looking at Ace's back in awe, his usually bored eyes opened wide and his lips curved in a very open smile.

"I know," Ace said, proud.

"But in that position people can't see it, yoi. I believed you’ll want to show it."

"Sure. I just need to go around shirtless." Ace shrugged, as if it was normal. "After all, I can't get cold, so no harm done."

"You have a point," Marco replied, pleased.

"I'll shower and I'll be back in a minute."

Marco’s gaze followed him until he was back in the hotel, and Sabo still watched his expression.

"God," he exhaled. "I was wrong."

Marco frowned. "What?"

"You're not jealous of me. You're jealous of Ace."

Sabo didn't know how to react at this discovery. Sure, in the years he had spent aboard the Moby Dick, Marco, as with every other brother, had had some relationships, sometimes important, sometimes just for fun. Maybe less than others, definitely less than Thatch, but was still something that had happened before. But with Ace... in some ways, Sabo was possessive of Ace, which was stupid because they were pirates and they were free. But Ace was his brother, a brother from before he joined the crew. He hadn’t expected someone else to feel something for him. He hadn’t expected Marco to feel something for him.

This time, Marco was prepared for his accusation. He just raised an eyebrow and smiled sarcastic. "Now you're going too far, yoi."

"No… No, I was joking before. But now..." Sabo was sure. He saw Marco’s expression. One didn't normally look in that way, not even for such an important event as the new tattoo. And Sabo realized then, that he was the jealous one.

"Now you're just wrong," Marco said, finishing up the sentence for him.

"Well, if you say so, you don't mind if I make my move, right?" Sabo replied, with a big smile on his face. He climbed on the bank, paying Marco and his uncertain expression no attention, and headed back into the hotel. Ace was there, sitting on one of the small stools, scrubbing his dark hair with shampoo. "Need some help?"

Ace turned at him and used his hand to wash his face from the soap. "Sure."

Sabo took another stool and sat down behind him, as Ace reached out for a sponge and let Sabo take care of his back. Sabo focused his attention on the tattoo, admiring it, and touching its borders lightly with his finger.

"We used to help wash each other," Ace said suddenly. "Well, sort of wash... we mostly played around Dadan's small bath. She wasn't happy," he explained and chucked at the memory.

"You always talk about your past with me," Sabo stated, blunt.

"Oh, sorry," Ace replied back immediately, and his tone was so guilty that Sabo felt guilty back.

"No, no... I mean, I get why you do," he said. "It's just hard because I can't reciprocate it."

"It's not your fault.... Sorry," Ace replied, before falling silent, and Sabo felt even worse.

Sure Ace hoped to bring back his memory by mentioning their time together every time the situation permitted it. But despite everything, Sabo still didn't remember anything, not even something fuzzy. Ace's stories were no different from those of a stranger, no different from one of his brothers narrating him some of their adventures. It was painful.

Sabo would just like for Ace to stop thinking of him as only the brother he had lost... and start seeing him as the brother he had become. Yet, at the same time, he realized why it was impossible, because Ace remembered everything. He was so, so jealous of Marco.  
  
He stood up suddenly. "Sorry, I got soap in my eyes."

***

"I did some research about these Black Tulip Pirates," Blamenco announced through the Den Den Mushi.

"So?" Marco asked.

"They're assholes." Marco smirked; he hadn't expected any less from someone of Kaido's band. He didn't comment though, waiting for some other information. "Their captain, Dumas, has a Zoan Fruit, and I suspect this being the only real reason for his association with Kaido. He has a thing for Zoan, you know?" Blamenco continued. Marco knew; he had been asked to join Kaido’s crew more than once. "But they caused Kaido a lot of problems and have been known to attack other allies sometimes."

"So Kaido wants to get rid of them, and uses us as his personal street sweepers," Marco concluded, not pleased.

"Basically," Blamenco agreed. "So none of his other allies will find out Kaido is after the Back Tulip Crew’s defeat. However, Pops doesn't care, not when we can end this mess."

"Okay. We'll handle it and then we'll be heading home."

"Say hello to Sabo and Ace from us."

"Sure."

Marco ended the call and sighed. He knew they had to accept some political games, but it was tiresome sometimes, especially as Pops' condition was starting to get worse. He stood up and returned back to the room they had rented in the small hotel. It was more like a small flat, with two different rooms. Marco slid the door of the bedroom open a just enough to peek inside, only to see Sabo and Ace sleeping peacefully in their futon. Sabo - no doubt in Marco's mind that it was his doing - put the last futon, the one Marco was supposed to use, as far from them as was possible.

With a smile, he closed the door and returned to the other room. Since tea was one of the specialties of the island, Marco took the kettle and boiled some water. In some ways, Sabo's attitude was cute. The two of them had a very close relationship, mostly because Marco felt a lot of responsibility for Sabo’s health, having been the one who saved him. With Ace in the picture, everything was different; no matter how much Sabo and Ace loved the family, there was a strong connection between them that could not be denied. It was just reality.

He wasn't jealous; on the contrary he was happy to finally meet someone from Sabo's past, and to discover that Sabo was loved. But there was something Sabo noticed that Marco couldn't dismiss; his own feelings for Ace. Feelings he was ashamed of, since Ace was so much younger than him and Marco was supposed to be the big brother, but they were there nonetheless. He didn't know he was so obvious back in the spring, but it was hard to control himself when Ace had shown him... everything, with no shame at all.

What Marco hadn't expected were Sabo's feelings for Ace, which made everything even more messy. He poured the water in to the ceramic tea cup and watched the steam rise, creating some strange figures before disappearing into the dark of the room. The sliding door opened a little, just enough to let Ace slip out of the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, making it clear Sabo was still sleeping.

"Drinking tea. Do you want some?"

"Uh. Sure."

Ace sat down at the other side of the table, as Marco poured a cup for him. Marco didn't expect to have a chance to spend some time alone with Ace, and at the same time he felt guilty. He didn't say anything about it to Ace though, just appreciated the company while they both sat drinking tea.

"It's bitter," Ace commented, after the first sip. But when Marco passed him the sugar, he shook his head. "No, I like it."

For another few minutes, silence filled the space between them. Marco drank his tea, which was bitter indeed, and just observed Ace. He looked a little uneasy, making Marco hope Sabo hadn't said anything embarrassing to him.

"Can I ask you something?" Ace asked, suddenly.

"Sure."

"Are there relationships between members of the crew?"

It wasn't a direct questiong about them, but still, Marco was suspicious. He took a sip of his tea thinking about how to phrase the answer. "Yes," he said simply in the end. "We've more than a thousand people in the crew, so it’s not strange that some relationships have become more. Some have broken up in the past, but some others still exist."

"I see." Ace looked at him, waiting, but Marco didn't ask. He wasn't a curious person to begin with, and there was no way he was going to press Ace any further on such a dangerous matter. So Ace went on: "Sabo asked me if I'd like to have sex with him."

Marco was drinking and almost choked, spitting nearly everything out. He didn't expect that. Sabo definitely was rushing things... and now Marco was curious to find out what Ace had answered.

"Well, he didn't ask of out the blue," Ace added, a little embarrassed. "We were talking about relationships and... you know, things happen."

Marco wouldn't put 'asking for sex' under the 'things happen', but didn't press, since Ace seemed already flustered. "It still surprised you, yoi."

Ace nodded. "He's my brother... okay, not by blood, but I've always seen our relationship in a very peculiar way, more than friends and crewmates... I just didn't feel the need to add sex to it, not even just to try."

Marco felt relieved to find out nothing happened between them. And, the second after, he realized of much of a jerk he was to hope for something like that. Sabo probably was sad and he shouldn't feel happy about something that made his little brother suffer. Still, he answered: "You don't have to, if you don't want to. I'm pretty sure Sabo understands."

"It’s me that needs to understand," Ace replied. "Sabo grew up with you all, in a very different environment, and no matter what I can tell him, he won't feel the same as me."

"That is correct." Marco finished his tea and put the cup on the table. It was a discussion they needed to face sooner or later. "For seven years, Sabo was someone else. He's still someone else, since he doesn't remember. And even when he remembers-"

"If," Ace interrupted.

"If he remembers," Marco corrected himself, unwillingly. "He’ll still have everything he learned different from you in these last seven years."

"I was so happy to have my brother back, that I didn't realize he wasn't the same anymore." Ace’s voice was filled with sorrow, but he talked with awareness. "The fact is that Sabo, my Sabo, died seven years ago."

"But you got a second chance, and this is not something that happens often." Marco reached for Ace’s hand, the one resting on the table, and placed his own over it. Ace looked at him with surprise, but he didn't pull away. "You need to stop thinking about the years you lost, about the brother you lost, and start looking at the brother you have now."

"It's hard. But I'll try." Ace's hand moved just a little, and now their palms touched, but then the door opened, and Marco rushed to pull back.

"What are you doing?" Sabo asked. There was sincere curiosity in his voice, but Marco didn't miss the suspicious look he threw at him before turning on Ace.

"Oh, just telling Ace some stories..." Marco replied carefree. "I was going to tell you about the time when Sabo put some firecrackers under Pop's chair and blew up all his sake?"

Ace's eyes widened, and then he busted with laughers. "Really?"

Sabo blushed. "Not the best idea..." he admitted, and then glared at Marco. "What are you drinking?"

"Marco made me tea," Ace answered. "Do you want some?"

"Tea?" Sabo replied, with a smile. "You really are an old man. I prefer something stronger."

"Do as you prefer, kid," Marco replied, with a smirk. "So you can show Ace what you can do as drunk. Oh, and about that I've definitely got some interesting stories, yoi."

"You just take advantage of the fact that you can't get drunk because of your fruit. It's unfair."

"Wait, you can't get drunk?" Ace asked. "Wow, I hate your fruit more and more."

Marco chuckled. "I recall you enjoying our little flight..."

Ace pouted, reminding him of Sabo so much Marco asked himself if they weren't really related somehow.

Sabo frowned. "You flew with him?"

"Yes, some time ago. It was amazing," Ace admitted, with a little smile.

"Yeah, it is..." Sabo turned his head to look at Marco, who shivered. It was very, very unusual for Marco to transport someone in his phoenix form.

"Blamenco called to inform me about Pops' decision," Marco said. He had no intention of giving Sabo more reasons to become jealous.

Sabo sat down next to Ace and both of them leaned forward, ready to find out what he said. They wore the same face, filled with expectation, and Marco sighed internally.

"Pops gave us permission to defeat the Black Tulip Pirates. They're not so important for Kaido, so we can trust Circe's words."

"Can I be the one to fight with them?" Ace asked.

"They didn't seem that strong," Marco warned him. "You'll get bored."

"I don't care," Ace replied. "Circe said nobody knows I joined you. And I want everyone to find out."

Oh, well, defeating a crew with that tattoo on his back definitely would do the trick, Marco didn't doubt it. And he smiled; he appreciated how much Ace cared about being recognized as part of the crew.

"Can I, Commander Sabo?" Ace asked again, turning his head to the Second Division Commander.

Sabo was surprised by the way Ace addressed him, but then smiled. "Sure. Let show everyone what they lost."

***

"Well, I'll go."

The Black Tulip Pirates' ship hadn't docked yet, but Ace brought Striker with him and it was ready to leave. As he promised, he didn't wear a shirt and his tattoo was shown in all his glory.

"Are you sure?" Marco asked. "You could wait and fight on the ground."

"Nah, I got this." His feet blazed into fire and in a minute the Striker was surfing across the sea at high speed, and Ace didn't turn as he approached his target.

Sabo moved closer to Marco, and they both kept their gaze on the battle without missing anything. It wasn't easy, since after the first two cannon shots, the ship was already on fire.

"About what happened yesterday," Sabo began, suddenly. "I was joking. If you really like Ace you have my blessing."

Marco rolled his eyes. This teasing was getting really annoying. He hoped Thatch wouldn't learn about it. Then, he noticed Sabo wasn't looking at him, but had his gaze fixed on the burning ships.

"Ace won't see me as more than the brother he lost," Sabo said, sorrow and awareness of Ace's own feelings.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Marco couldn't tell him what they talked about, but Ace promised to try and Marco was sure things would get better. "Besides, I already told you that you got everything wrong."

Finally, Sabo turned to look at him. "You're stubborn."

Marco didn't satisfy him with an answer. Being stubborn was better than being happy over his little brother's pain.

 


	6. Third Section - Part 1

 

The Fourth Division rarely went into battle. Not that they couldn't kick every ass out there, but being the cooks of the ship, they're usually pretty busy taking care of everyone on the crew. It was amazing that they were able to cook for so many people, especially when two of those people were Ace and Sabo.

Still, Thatch thought it was important, from time to time, for his Division to get a little training. So he would take a small group of his Division with him and go on a mission every time the pirates they needed to defeat, were near enough to let him come back in time for dinner. Rumors said he was the one that needed to train the most, but nobody dared asking him directly. Better not to anger a sea cook.

"Thatch! Hey!"

Thatch appeared at the railing and smiled at Sabo. "Hey."

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Thatch considered, Sabo was one of the Division Commanders, and someone who definitely liked fighting. In a battle he could take easily take all the enemies down, making his efforts to train the Fourth Division useless.

"Pretty please?" Sabo added, with a puppy smile, while Thatch hesitated.

"Oh, get onboard" Thatch snapped. He couldn't deny Sabo anything, especially not with that expression. Except food, of course, that Sabo had steal by himself. "Haven't you something to do today?" he asked then. "Marco told me your two Divisions were busy."

Sabo shrugged. "Yeah, but I left orders to Ace and Teach. They can handle it."

"Oh, really?" Thatch's tone was amused. "So I suppose your decision has nothing to do with leaving Marco and Ace alone together?"

"They're not alone, not with the two Divisions with them," Sabo pointed out, then sighed. "What more can I do? It's been two years; never seen someone so stubborn."

"Are you talking with me about this?" Thatch replied, with a smile.

He pressed at Marco every day, it became almost as routine as having breakfast or a shower, but he only gained harsh remarks and annoyed looks. Thatch could understand Marco’s wish to protect Sabo's feelings, but Thatch wasn't sure the best course of action would be denying his own feelings. Thatch could have enjoyed this 'everybody liked Ace' plot if he didn't feel that his brothers were in pain because the situation.

"You can't blame them for not wanting to hurt you," he said, with a tone of seriousness very unusual for him.

"They're not hurting me!" Sabo exclaimed. "I’ve told Marco many times I'm okay with this."

"He thinks you lied for his sake."

"See? He's stubborn."

That was something Thatch couldn't deny. He put an arm on Sabo’s shoulder and pulled him closer. "Let's forget about it and have some fun with you big bro, okay?" Sabo didn't reciprocate the hug, but smiled slightly.

"Hey, guys!" Thatch called. "Our Second Division Commander will come with us to check on our behavior. Don't let me down!"

The roar he got in answerer brightened his smile. Especially because even Sabo looked as if he forgot his problems and just wanted to enjoy a little fight with some of his other brothers. "I don't think our enemies will be that strong, but let's try to have some fun."

***

Thatch was right about the pirates' strength, they were weak. But there was something else off about them. The men he was fighting were scared and they fought guided by that fear, mostly because they didn't have any strategy or coordination. The Whitebeard Pirates didn't need orders, because every division was so used to fighting together that they could handle themselves. Still there Commander was there to make sure everything would proceed smoothly, and ready to intervene if the situation required it.

The enemies were totally lost. Where was there Captain? And the First Mate? Sabo knew about the Davy Back Fight, a dangerous game that made people lose crewmates, but for some reason he doubted that was the case. These pirates weren't desperate, they were angry and scared.

Kicking a man out of his way, Sabo looked over the railing. The sea was empty. He frowned not finding what he was looking for, but he couldn't be wrong. Ignoring the fight around him, he crossed the deck of the enemies' ship and looked down at the sea on the other side. There he saw it: a small lifeboat was sailing away from the ship as quickly as it could. From what he could see, there were just two men, rowing to get as much speed and distance as possible.

"Too late." Thatch's amused voice came from above, and Sabo lifted his head just in time to see him jump from the crow's nest and land on the escaping lifeboat, almost sinking it.

"Oh no, no way," Sabo replied. Now he was enjoying himself. He took a few steps back to give him space to run before her rushed back to the railing and jumped; landing just beside Thatch on the small boat. 

The two men were standing in front of Thatch, and they seemed ready for a fight. One of them, the one who remained a little behind the other, kept a small iron trunk closed with a lock under his arm. Sabo didn't need to ask Thatch, he already knew they were both curious to find out what the content was. Unfortunately, as soon as he landed in the lifeboat, the two men decided it was hopeless to fight. They dropped their weapons and jumped off. Sabo and Thatch blinked; astonished that someone would risking swimming in middle of the Grand Line.

"See? You scared them," Thatch protested.

"It's not my fault they're cowards!" Sabo snorted. He was disappointed to by the lack of good fights.

The two men resurfaced a few meters from the lifeboat and started swimming in desperation. Thatch and Sabo looked at them.

"Should we warn them about the sea monsters that live here?" Thatch asked casually. At that moment, a sea snake appeared from the beneath the sea. The men yelled, but one of them was already caught by the monster's fangs. The scream of fear became of pain.

"Too late," Sabo commented, annoyed.

The other man tried to escape swimming in another direction, and Sabo noticed it wasn't the one who had the iron trunk. Then he turned his attention to the monster that was still on the surface of the sea, crunching on its prey. Sabo smiled; maybe it wasn't too late.

He jumped, bending his fingers into the Dragon's claw, and hit the sea snake between his eyes. The monster shook his entire body from the pain, and opened his fanged mouth in shock. The smell of blood and gastric juice almost made Sabo gag, but he stifled the urge. With his hand anchored in the monster's skin, he looked inside its mouth and the opening of the throat.

The iron trunk was there.

Sabo reached with his arm to grab it, but the monster snapped his mouth closed. Sabo avoided being bitten, but he was forced to jumped back to the lifeboat, just in time to see Thatch rushing forward, his long knife in his hand. He cut the monsters long neck with accuracy, as he did with his meat dishes, and then waited for the iron trunk to slip down from the mouth through the esophagus. He grabbed it with one hand and then came back to the lifeboat while the monster's body began to sink slowly into the ocean, leaving blood floating on the surface.

Sabo looked annoyed, but Thatch didn't notice. "Aren't you curious to see what's inside?"

Oh, sure he was! Two men has escaped from their duty, risking their life swimming in the Grand Line just to keep that trunk. Sabo really wanted to know why. He broke the lock with his Haki and then opened it, only to end up being disappointed. The trunk contained only a yellow fruit covered with curly patterns.

And then he understood. "It is a Devil's Fruit, isn't it?"

Thatch only replied with a big smile.

***

"Are you going to eat it?" Namur asked, at dinner. All the Commanders but Thatch, who was still in the kitchen, sat at the same table together.

Sabo looked at him confused, and then at his plates filled with a quantity of food great enough for eight or ten people. It was the normal amount of food he consumed at every meal, so Namur shouldn't be surprised.

"I meant the Devils' Fruit," Namur clarified, with a smile.

"Oh." Sabo swallowed all the food he had in his mouth. "My idea was to cut it up and put it in the dinner tonight, to see who could be the one to eat it."

The Commanders' eyes widened, and immediately they pushed away their plates.

"You're okay, right? Please tell me you're okay." Haruta reached for Marco and shook him, her hands on his shoulder.

"We're fine," Jozu assured her, as Marco pulled her away gently. He looked really annoyed.

Sabo laughed. "Don't worry, Thatch stopped me." At the memory, he pouted a little. But, of course, he had to agree with him after discovering that his prank could kill his crewmates, or Pops. "But is this all 'you can't eat two Devil's Fruit or you'll die' story true or just a legend?"

"Let's not verify it with our brothers," Haruta stated, ending the discussion, and Sabo nodded. Still, he noticed, no one resumed eating.

"Thatch was the one to retrieve it," Sabo admitted, unwilling. "So he should be the one eating it."

"Thatch won't mind, if you'd like it," Atmos commented.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure." Sabo looked at Marco. "Why did you decide to eat one?"

"I didn't decide anything, it was an accident," Marco replied, simply. "It was in the fruit basket in my house and I was hungry. It was so strange compared to the others I thought it was going to be the most tasty."

"One of your biggest mistakes," Vista laughed. Devils' Fruit tasted like shit, and everyone knew it.

"That sucks." Sabo turned to Jozu. "And you?"

"Same," he replied, with a sorry smile. "I stole apples from a stand and one of them turned out to be a Devils Fruit. I was too hungry to be picky about a fruit with a strange form and a bad taste."

"And Pops?" The amused look he received was enough for an answer. "You're not helpful at all," he protested, annoyed. He stood up and reached the Second Division table.

Ace turned to him as he put a hand on his shoulder and swallowed all the food in his mouth.

Sabo greeted all his men before asking Ace, "How did you get your Devil's Fruit?"

Ace licked his lips to clean them from the sauce. "Well, it was..."

"Let me guess, an accident." Sabo sighed and slumped down on the bench, as Ace just widened his hand and smiled.

"Are you really thinking about eating it, Commander?" Tom asked. The entire table was focused on them.

"Not sure... What if it’s a useless power? I won't be able to swim anymore for nothing."

"I don't recall having ever seen a useless Devil's Fruit."

"Well, but it could be embarrassing," Teach pointed out, taking his plate and standing out. "What if is a Zoan like Jack the Drought?"

The table laughed. As much as the Mythological Zoan of the Mammoth was strong, his form was so ridiculous and the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't help but laugh at one of Kaido's best men. Sabo definitely didn't want to turn into a living joke.

"When we were kids, we made fun of Luffy's fruit every day," Ace murmured. He wasn't looking at him, as he did every time he spoke about their past, and Sabo understood it was because of him. "But it was actually useful and I can't deny the Flame Flame fruit made me a lot stronger." Ace smiled slightly. "Even if the first thing I thought after eating it was that I won't be able to save Luffy anymore if he falls in the water."

King patted him on the back. "Ah, this is the reason we all can swim!"

"We promise to get you back if you fall, Commander," Jerry assured, amused. "We had a lot of training with Ace after all."

"Funny. Very Funny." Ace stated flatly, but was smiling.

Sabo stood up. "I'm not going to eat it," he announced, since everyone was looking at him surprised. "I'll go tell Thatch he can keep it."

He headed for the kitchen. The cooks had finished serving the meal and were washing the dishes, which meant that Thatch could be out at the table eating, but Sabo had noticed he wasn't.

"He went to his room to hide the Devil's Fruit," one of the cooks explained. "He was still worried about your idea to feed us with it."

Sabo frowned. "Talk about trust!" He shook his head and smiled - he couldn't deny having done some very bad pranks in the past - and left the kitchen.

Thatch's room was in front of his own, and next to Jozu. The hallway was dark and quiet, since everyone was in the dining room. Sabo, as usual, opened the door without knocking. The light was off and for a moment Sabo thought he had missed Thatch, but his senses were screaming that something wasn’t right. He took a step forward and his foot slipped a little in a pool of something that smelled like blood.

His arms trembled as he reached for the light switch. His eyes were used enough to the dark to notice there was something on the floor but only when the light went on did he recognize it for Thatch's body. He laid face up, vacant eyes looking at the ceiling, his body surrounded in blood.

Sabo kneeled down next to him, shaking him gently as his eyes scanned the body to find the wound and stop the bleeding, but when he didn't receive any reaction from Thatch, he sprang up and rushed outside. He almost slipped in the blood, but managed to keep his balance with a hand braced on the wall, leaving a red mark behind as he rushed back the way he had come.

He ran into the dining hall, slammed the door and gained all the attention on him. The entire room stopped whatever they were doing to turn and face Sabo, and a still silence filled the room.

Sabo's eyes were wide, his hands, arms, and body splattered with blood.

Marco jumped up and grabbed Sabo by the shoulder. Ace was about to do the same, but stopped as he saw Marco beat him to it. "What happened?" Marco asked.

"Thatch..." Sabo managed to say at the end. "Somebody hurt him..." And then, he put into words what he feared the most. "I think he's dead."

***

The little lifeboat was on fire. Thatch's body was lied down in a bed of flowers and the flames covered them fast and skimmed along the surface of the sea, creating a small floating ball of fire. In a matter of time, the flames would consume everything, and the ocean would eat the ashes. Nothing would remain of the man once known as Thatch.

Sabo was in the second row, since the first was reserved to the Fourth Division, but he could see the proceedings pretty well. He hugged himself, shivering. It wasn't his first funeral, in the past he had lost other brothers, but this time was different. This time it was murder, cold blooded murder committed by another brother. Sabo knew Teach, or at least he had thought so. He had been mistaken.

He closed his eyes, but the cries of the Fourth Division couldn't be avoided. A group of old badass cooks of the sea crying like babies because their Commander, their friend was dead. Thatch was loved and his death would leave a scar on them all. Sabo looked at the other Commanders next to him; some of them were crying too, some others were just focused on the fire, but they swallowed slightly from time to time.

Marco wasn't crying, but Sabo knew he had. He had seen him in the hallway, after Curie had confirmed Thatch's death. Marco had left the room without a word, and then he had leaned against the wall, head buried in his hands and his shoulder had trembled. Sabo knew he had been crying then.

It was a shock. In the nine years he had lived with the Whitebeard Pirates, Sabo had never seen Marco cry… or Pops. They were the rock of the crew, the people everyone confided in and depended on. Seeing them so destroyed, it was like seeing a mountain crumble to pieces; a completely and utter defeat. Well, Sabo hadn’t seen Pops cry, but in his mind there was no doubt he had. He looked at the older pirate, at his closed eyes, and Sabo understood it was his way to restrain himself from crying.

The lifeboat was consumed, and only a small flame remained. Soon, it would disappear in the sea. Some of the men threw flowers, food, and small amulets, to please the god of sea to welcome their brother. Others were too astonished to move, and others were slowly leaving. They needed to work, to bring back some sense of normality. Sabo looked at his Division, the group of the Spade Pirates, the last ones to join, were comforting the others patting them on the shoulders while they cried. Only Ace... Ace's face was like stone, and he turned his back to them as he left the group and headed toward the passage leading below deck. Sabo followed him.

"I know you're angry at me..." he began, once they were alone in the hallway. Ace stopped, but didn't look at him.

"I'm not angry at you," he replied. His tone was harsh. "I'm angry at everyone."

"I understand, or do you really think I'm okay with Teach being free and safe out there while Thatch is dead?" Sabo breathed deeply to calm himself. "Pops said not to go, and so I'm not going. That doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

"Then you should go." Ace turned slowly to face him. His expression wasn't as harsh as his tone. "You don't get it, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Teach did kill Thatch, but that wasn't his only sin," Ace explained. "He destroyed everything Pops built. We are brothers, but now... Now we know a brother we should be able to trust with our life could stab us in the back without a second thought. Teach disrespected our father and his creation, and we'll let it go as if it's nothing."

Sabo swallowed. Now he saw Ace's point. He was so absorbed by the pain of Thatch's death he hadn’t considered the backslash of what had happened. Ace could see him clearly. All his brothers were people he trusted... but so was Teach. They weren't the same crew anymore, and Sabo was scared of how much Ace was right.

"If I was the Second Division Commander, I would have gone searching for that bastard already," Ace continued. "But I'm not, and when I joined I accepted the rules here. I accepted Pops and you as Commander. You speak a lot about being the little brother, but the truth is you're our big brother here. You should take responsibility for what Teach did."

Sabo didn't answer. He knew how much consideration Ace had for the big brother's role. He had grown up being one. Sabo didn't want to disappoint Ace, but he had lived in the crew for so much time that he saw things differently. Since he remained silent, Ace scoffed and left the hallway and Sabo behind.

***

After the funeral, the nurses decided Pops needed rest, so they closed him in his cabin without any sake. Pops didn't protest, which was a very strong clue that he wasn't so calm and collected as he pretended to be and was yet another thing that gave negative feelings to Sabo.

Curie scrutinized him with a frown on her face. Sabo was ready to use his puppy face to convince her he should speak with Pops, but she anticipated him and opened the door to let him in. He had his reasons and she didn't stop him.

Pops was resting in his giant armchair, and opened his eyes when the door was closed. He looked at Sabo, and his gaze lingered on the backpack hanging from Sabo’s shoulders. It was bigger and heavier that his usual luggage for a mission.

"Are you leaving, son?" he asked. His tone was calm, resigned.

Sabo was ready to convince Pops to let him go, but understood he didn't need to. "Yes." He nodded. "I have to." He bit his lip, unsure of speaking about his talk with Ace.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Pops said. It was the same reason he had given against the idea of following Teach in the first place. "Be careful, son."

"I will." He took a letter he had in his pocket and put it on the table. "Please, give this to the others."

He didn't have the time to said goodbye to everyone. Teach could already have gone far, and he needed to catch up as soon as possible. Besides, he wouldn't give the impression to the rest that it was a different mission than usual. He was going to do this because everything needed to be back to normal, he needed to do this to undo some of the damage Teach had done.

***

Sabo's hunt for Teach wasn't proceeding as smoothly as he had hoped. Teach had disappeared in the maze of the Grand Line and Sabo hadn't found any clues about his current location. Sure, for a man who had killed one of the Whitebeard Pirates, hiding would be the smart choice, but for Teach? Sabo didn't think it made sense. Had Teach just killed Thatch without a plan? Unlikely.

The only theory Sabo had come up with was about the fruit he and Thatch had found. Maybe its power was useful for hiding or to disappear in some way, because there was no doubt in his mind the fruit had something to do with the murder.

Then, the newspaper gave Sabo a hint. A pirate who called himself 'Blackbeard', a name that was both alike and opposite of Pop’s crew, had started to attack some islands in the Paradise with his crew. They didn't have any photos yet, but the descriptions were definitely pointing to Teach. So Sabo turned his surfboard to return to that part of the Grand Line he wasn't used to, Paradise.

He would be annoyed by how far he had to travel, but he had another reason to go there. The newspaper had also contained the bounty of a young pirate from East Blue, and Sabo didn't even need to read the name to know who he was. Ace's tales about his little brother were legendary, and so Monkey D. Luffy had started his journey for becoming King of the Pirates.

Sabo looked at the photo in the wanted poster, and couldn't help but smile back at that happy and childish face. His little brother… as much as Sabo didn't remember it and didn't feel anything for Luffy, who was basically a stranger to him, the thought of meeting him after years excited him. Like Ace, Luffy needed to know Sabo was alive and happy.

So, at least for a while, Sabo could forget his mission for revenge and loose himself in imagining how he would be meeting his little brother.

***

Marco was disturbed.

He woke up just like every other morning, only to find the entire ship was plastered with wanted posters. A look at the man in the photo gave Marco a clear idea of just what happened and who the culprit was.

How Ace had managed to find so many copies of the same wanted poster was a mystery, and yet he did. Ace also wandered around the ship with a bunch of the posters tucked under his arm, stopping everyone who was so unfortunate to cross his path. He then gave them the wanted poster and began to talk about his little brother's stories until the poor person basically ran away, scarred for life.

Marco hoped to avoid the torture himself by closing himself in his own room working, but Ace found him and sat down on Marco’s desk the moment he noticed Marco wasn't paying him any attention and shoved the wanted poster in his face.

"Did you see? Did you see?" He was excited as a kid in an amusement park. "My little brother got his first bounty!"

"Yeah, yeah, I saw it." Marco stepped aside and tried to tear the wanted poster from his face, but Ace quickly to moved it out of his way. "It would be impossible not to, since you put that damn bounty everywhere," Marco grumbled.

Ace didn't listen, as he smiled at the photo. "Thirty million! Not bad, eh? Sure, mine was higher..."

"You're going to fix this all mess," Marco tried to interrupt him again. "I don't want the Moby Dick looking as a circus marquee."

Ace ignored him. "He looks so happy..."

Marco sighed. He wasn't actually angry about the mess, and even if he was, it would be impossible to stay so. Not after seeing the way Ace smiled at the wanted poster. Besides, his enthusiasm was contagious and after what had happened with Thatch, Teach, and Sabo, they definitely needed something to be happy about. Ace's little brother having a brand new bounty came in handy for just that, So Marco just sat there and look at Ace's smile, a little upset it wasn't direct at him.

"I want to meet up with him," Ace said. "And I can't wait for him to reach the New World."

Marco understood immediately the implication of his statement. "Are you asking me permission to leave?"

Ace nodded. He put down the bounty, but he didn't turn his head to look at him. "My Commander isn't here, so... I'll ask Pops too."

"I'm okay with it," Marco said, slowly. "But first, tell me how much of your decision has to do with Luffy and how much has to do with Sabo." By the way Ace tensed, Marco knew he was right. No doubt Ace would like to meet his little brother, but he was using it as an excuse to follow Sabo's path. "I thought you were the one pushing him to go after Teach."

"I was, but then I realized I was making the same mistake twice." Since Marco didn't add anything, Ace looked finally at him; his gaze was intense, but his lips trembled a little. "Ten years ago... Sabo left us," he explained. Marco knew very little of their past, since Ace stopped talking about it, as Sabo had preferred. For that reason he didn't understand why Sabo had left, but Ace didn't explain further.

"I didn't go after him. I trusted him to be strong enough to come back by himself, if it was what he wanted," Ace continued. "And then he died and all that remained was a stupid letter and the regret. A lot of regret. I didn't want to feel like that anymore."

Marco held his gaze, and nodded. Even if Ace tried to hide it, the pain was still there. After his explanation, his wish was understandable, given the shock of his past. And even if, for Marco, that meant he had to worry about two little brothers instead of one, he couldn’t deny Ace the permission to go. Regrets were a pain in the ass.

Gently, he took the wanted poster from Ace’s hand and lifted it up for Ace to see. "Just remember to bring me back an autograph."

***

Since Sabo was travelling alone, he had a lot of time to think about how his meeting with Luffy would happen. But even in his imagination, he couldn’t have predicted such an absurd situation. He shouldn't be surprised. Ace had told him the best stories about Luffy's ability to in danger himself, however watching it with his own eyes was still a shock.

Luffy with his mouth stuffed full of food, was running away from a marine with the devil's fruit power of smoke. He was still chewing, as the most important thing was not to lose his meal, even more important than not being arrested. In the end, he only managed to bring the marines to the place his crew was hiding.

Sabo could have stopped the marine earlier, but he waited until the last minute before he jumped between the two. His jacket fluttered around him as he blocked the smoky punch with his hand covered in Haki.

"Would you mind letting him go?" Yeah, it was a enough of a badass entrance, Sabo was pleased of himself.

"He stopped Captain Smoker's attack? How it was possible?" the marines around them screamed. "Who is this guy?"

Sabo rolled his eyes. He was disappointed by the fact that marines in the Paradise were so weak they didn't even know what Haki is, let aside being able to use it. But not recognizing Sabo was outrageous. Marines who couldn't identify a Whitebeard Commander when they met one should be fired.

Luffy still stood behind him, surprised. "Who are you?" he asked, but Sabo wasn't bother by his ignorance. The entire meeting should be a surprise for him.

He turned his head to look at Luffy and smiled. "Go! I'll take care of them."

"Oh. Okay, thanks." His crew was waiting for him, and when they saw him running, they were quick to join him.

Smoker turned his body into smoke and tried to pass Sabo, but Sabo noticed the move and kicked him in the smoky-chest, pushing him a few meters away. He was a tough guy, Sabo thought with a smirk, since the marine managed to avoid hitting the ground and was quickly back again, facing Sabo with an angry face.

"What the hell the Second Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is doing here and why are you helping Straw Hat?"

"Oh, finally someone smart here!" And Sabo watched with pride the terrified expressions of the other marines, once they realized who they were facing.

"Answer me."

"My answer his... it's none of your fucking business."

On any other occasion, Sabo wouldn't have minded a fight. He liked fighting Logia Devil's Fruit users, because they managed to bring his use of Haki to a maximum. But this day, Sabo had a very pressing meeting he couldn't afford to miss, so he put both of his hands down to the ground.

"Dragon's breath!"

Sabo loved his move. In some ways, it was similar to Pops' earthquakes as the ground trembled and split open in deep chasms, making enemies fall down or run away to avoid the fall. He put too much energy in the attack however as some of the nearest buildings crumbled. Sabo shrugged as he took in the destruction. The marines would have a lot to take care of.

Sabo ran away from the scene and returned to the little bay he had left his surfboard hidden. He figured Luffy's ship couldn’t be too far away, and he was right, as he spotted it soon. After securing his vehicle to the small ship, he jumped up into the air and landed on the railway neatly.

His arrival surprise the crew as they quickly fell into defensive poses, but then Luffy recognized him and smiled. "Oh, it's you. Thanks for before."

"You're welcome."

The rest of the crew however, were still suspicious. "Who are you?" asked the red-haired woman. "And why did you help us?"

"I'm the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." Then he smiled, anticipating their gasps. It was unusual to meet a member of such a famous crew outside their own territories.

"You're real?" the long-nose boy stammered.

Sabo nodded. "Absolutely."

"So you're famous," Luffy stated.

"Sure I am. But more it is my captain, which is the most suitable candidate for the pirate king's throne." Sabo knew Pops had no will to take it, but there was some truth in the statement regardless. Whitebeard was definitely more suitable for the position than other candidates.

"Oh, well, then I'll beat him sooner or later." Luffy shrugged, while his crewmate with the long nose shivered and looked at him badly.

"To tell the truth, I'm here to meet you, Straw Hat Luffy," Sabo continued. "Is there a place where we can talk alone?"

After that question, the suspicious looks returned, Sabo could tell looking at their faces. The green-hair swordsman had one hand on his sword, ready to draw it. Only Luffy didn't seem fazed at all by the situation, he was just curious.

Sabo lifted both hands in surrender. "I come in peace," he assured. "I'm here for a special mission, so I just wanted to say hello to Ace's little brother."

"Ace?" Luffy's eyes widened. "You know him?"

"Yes, he's a member of my Division."

"Really? How surprising! He always refused to become a member of my crew before!"

"Who's Ace?" the red-haired woman asked. It was clear none of them had ever heard of Ace, and Sabo was surprised by that, given how much Ace spoke about his little brother.

"My big brother!" Luffy answered with an enormous smile on his face. "He left to search for the One Piece three years before me! I miss him..." His attitude was different, but the tone Luffy used was like Ace's. The bond they shared was strong despite the years of separation, and Sabo felt cold. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Come into the pantry." Luffy grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him toward an open hatch in the ship, without Sabo having a word to say about it. "Don't worry, he's a friend of my brother. He couldn't be bad." Luffy assured his crew, who obviously still had doubts, just before he dragged Sabo inside.

As the door closed behind them, Luffy buried Sabo by questions. "So, how's Ace? How did you meet him? I wonder how strong he is now... bet I'm stronger now!"

Sabo smiled. "He's fine. He's on the ship right now, but I'm pretty sure he knows you're here. He speaks a lot about you."

"Is that so?" Luffy laughed. "Did he tell you he wanted to kill me once?"

Sabo nodded. "Yes, because you found out about his and Sabo's hideout."

The mention of that name made Luffy freeze. In a moment, the guy with the big smile became a very serious man, with sorrow in his eyes. But it didn't last long. "Ace doesn't speak about Sabo," he said. "He must trust you a lot."

Sabo swallowed. "He does," he confirmed. "Actually, there is a reason I'd like wanted to be alone with you."

"Something happened to Ace?" Luffy asked, suddenly worried.

"No." Sabo shook his head then took off his hat. "It's me, Luffy. I'm Sabo." Luffy's eyes widened in shock at the revelation and then he stared as he studied Sabo’s face carefully.

"Sabo...?" he whispered.

"Ten years ago an accident happened to me, but I was saved... by one of the Whitebeard Pirates. That's why I joined them and-"

Sabo explained the situation, but Luffy didn't care. Luffy threw himself at Sabo, wrapping his rubber arms and legs around Sabo’s torso. He buried his head against the older boy’s shoulder, crying. "Sabo... Sabo, you're alive... I missed you so much..."

Sabo froze. He could feel Luffy’s tears dampening his jacket, and his heartbeat getting faster against his chest, but he didn't know how to react. As much as he could understand Luffy's feelings, which were similar to those of Ace, even if more expressive, he couldn't reciprocate them. Luffy was his little brother, but Sabo didn't remember what that really meant. He didn't remember how he was leaving Luffy behind. He had thought he could feel something, maybe even remember after meeting him, but the truth was he couldn't really consider Luffy as more than a stranger.

"There's something else you need to know," Sabo said. "I don't have any memories of everything that happened before my incident."

Luffy sniffed and lifted his head to look at him. "What does that mean?"

"I don't remember you. I don't remember Ace, or what happened between us. I know because Ace told me, that's all."

"You don't remember anything?"

"No."

"Not even that time when we hunted the big tiger?"

"No. I'm sorry."

Luffy remained silent for a while, reflecting about what this really meant. "Okay," he said at last. "It doesn't matter. You're alive Sabo, that's the only thing that matters." And his grip become stronger, as he pressed his forehead onto Sabo’s shoulder again. This time, Sabo reciprocated the hug. With trembling arms, but he did, gripping Luffy’s red shirt.

***

Three months. That was how much time Sabo had spent searching for Teach, and it was no wonder he was pissed off by the wasted time. He missed his family, but he couldn't return before he completed his mission. Now at last, finally, he had found his target. His hunt was at an end, and as soon as he had punished Teach for his sin, Sabo could return home with the knowledge that things would be back to normal.

"I didn't realize you were so good at hide and seek, Teach."

Teach was surprised to see him, but the man recovered fast, his toothless mouth twisting in a smile. It wasn't the smile Sabo was used to seeing on the man’s face. There was a glimpse of malice in it. Sabo was facing a different person now, not his former crewmate.

"Commander Sabo..." Teach murmured, "It's a pleasure to see you."

"I can't say the same." Sabo took his time to observe Teach’s supposedly new crew, a group of scoundrels just like Teach. Of course in the last three months Teach had had enough time to find someone willing to join him, but Sabo didn't believe they could, in any way, be better than the Whitebeard Pirates. What a bunch of losers.

"Let's cut the chat, I don't have time," Sabo continued. "I'm here to kill you, and that's all."

The bullets shot at him were precise, but slow, and Sabo was fast enough to avoid them. He crouched down and broke the ground using his favored move, and the man that just shot him stumbled losing his balance. Another pirate threw a wooden house at him, but Sabo destroyed it with a single punch before rushing forward and grabbing his enemy’s head with the Dragon's Claw technique.

He felt the bones cracking under his grip and he had every intention to shatter them, when he felt something pushing him behind. It was a strong force, and Sabo lost his grip as both he and the man he had just been clutching fell to the ground. Sabo’s body then flew into the air, stopping only when Teach grabbed him by the arm and then punched him hard in the gut.

Sabo blew back, crashing against the nearest wooden house and coughed as he tried to regain his breath. The hit had been so sudden he hadn’t been able to use Haki to defend himself. Despite even that... Teach was strong; stronger than Sabo remembered him ever being. Sabo understand then that his weakness had been a trick, just like his friendship.

"Leave," Teach ordered to his men. "You can't beat him. I'll handle this."

Sabo glare at them with indifference. He could kill them later, or never, it didn't matter. He only cared about dealing with Teach. He wiped blood away from his mouth and split lower lip with his thumb and faced Teach again.

"My fruit is more efficient against devil's fruit user," Teach commented. "But I'm interested in testing it with a Haki fighter like you."

"Is it Thatch's fruit?" Sabo asked, as his jaw clenched.

"Yes." Teach pointed his palms face down at the ground and darkness erupted from them. A strong force began pulling all the surrounding debris towards him, tearing apart other houses and ripping trees from the ground. Everything was drawn into the black hole in the palms of Teach’s hands . Sabo realized this was the force Teach used on him before. "Gravity. It absorbs everything. I had searched this fruit for all my life..."

"You know what the worst thing about this is?" Sabo rushed forwards and hit Teach in the face with a punch. "You could just have asked!"

Teach took the hit and screamed in pain, but then he was ready to use his gravity against Sabo. "And you know something else?" Teach yelled, with a cruel smile. "It's been twenty years I have endured you and the old man’s family bullshit. I'm free, at last."

What hurt Sabo most wasn't the physical hit in the hips, but the revelation that Teach’s words brought with them. Teach had betrayed them, but at the same time Sabo could remember all the time they had spent together on the ship. As a child, Teach had been one of the men leading the Second Division, and he had supported Sabo when he had been chosen as Division Commander.

"All this time... It was just an act?"

"Yes," Teach answered easily. "I stayed just because I knew finding the fruit would be easy while on Whitebeards Crew." Teach pulled Sabo again with the gravity.

Sabo realized that while his attacks could still hit Teach because he was faster, he realized his attacks weren't as effective as normal

"It was nothing personal, Commander. I have a dream and I'll do everything to realize it."

"Yeah, I noticed," Sabo spat. He coughed, blood filling his mouth. "Pity your dream is gonna end here." And Sabo was more than eager to be the one destroying it.

Teach smiled. "Or maybe, you'll help me."

"Yeah, count on it." Sabo’s arms were stiff. A normal man would be on his knees after taking so many Haki-powered attacks, but Teach only screamed before he absorbed all the pain as if it was nothing.

"Oh, I don't mean you'll be willing," Teach replied, as he threw wooden debris he had absorbed before back at Sabo. "But you'll be more than enough for the Marines, and I won't have to look for Straw Hat Luffy anymore."

"Who...?" Sabo's eyes widened at the mention of Ace’s little brother. "What has Luffy to do with it?"

"Do you know him?" Teach asked, surprised.

"What has Luffy to do with it?" Sabo repeated, harsher, ignoring Teach’s question.

Teach didn't seem fazed by his hardness. "Well, you'll find out when we're done."

***

His mind was toying with him. Not that Ace cared. Imagining a reunion between himself, Sabo, and Luffy was something he once could only do in the fantasy world, but now it could become reality. Ace was eager to see it and even the small fact Sabo didn't have any memories of them as kids could be forgotten for a little while.

For that reason he had decided to follow Sabo's vivre card and find him first. They could kill Teach together and then go searching for Luffy. He couldn't wait to see his little brother's face as he found out about Sabo.

So far though, he had had no luck tracking down Sabo. Sabo had moved from island to island following the route of this Blackbeard, no doubt it was Teach's new nickname, and only hearing that made Ace wanted to puke. Ace followed the same path, but no fast enough to catch up to Sabo yet. He was getting close though, because the people of the last island he stopped by told him that the fake gentleman with the top hat had left only two days before his arrival.

Ace kept the vivre card in his pocket and checked it from time to time, to be sure he was on the right route, and usually smiled at that small piece of paper that indicated his brother's life.

But not this last time. The vivre card was burning on one of the corners and becoming smaller. It indicated Sabo's life was in danger. Immediately, Ace's flames erupted and the Striker speed up to almost uncontrollable speed. Maybe he was fighting with Teach at that moment, and Ace was sure that Teach was a tough son of a bitch. Ace could arrive in time to join them, if he drove the Striker as fast as possible.

Ace was expecting to be lead to an island, not to a pirate ship that looked as a giant raft. He didn't recognize the jolly roger and no one was in sight. Ace circled around the ship, the vivre card in his palm. There was no more doubt, Sabo was on board, and when someone shot at Ace, the bullets passed through his body with nothing but a flicker of flame to indicate their passing, but it was enough to tell Ace Sabo was in danger.

He threw the rope to tie the Striker to the ship, then jumped upward at the same time as he shot his own fire at the man who had attacked him first. Ace didn't hit him, but one of the masts behind the pirate began to burn a little. The commotion made three other men come out from below deck. One of them was Teach. Ace looked at his former comrade. He was heavily bandaged and some of them were soaked in blood. Whatever fight he had been in, his opponent hadn't surrendered easily.

"Ace!" Teach smiled with his toothless mouth. "What a surprise!"

Ace didn't reply, barley taking time to glare at the two men with Teach. "Where is Sabo?" Ace demanded his voice harsh. "I know he's here."

Teach stood still, but then indicated the ship with his arm stretched out. "You're free to search for him, then."

"So you can shoot me in the back in the meantime?" Ace replied.

"Auger!" Teach rolled his eyes. "Be kind with our guest, please. He's just wary," he added, for Ace's sake.

Ace was wary too. Being sure not to turn his attention from any of the men, he pulled out Sabo's vivre card. It pointed in Teach's direction, but as Ace passed by him, it turned around. Ace rotated around Teach, only to find, with surprise, that the vivre card only pointed to Teach.

"What does it mean?" he whispered. Teach's smile spread wide. "What does it mean?" Ace's tone was higher, and his arms already turning into flames.

"Wait." Teach lift his arms in surrender. "Can we just sit and talk? Who knows what could happen to Sabo if you attack me."

Ace froze, but didn't reduce his fire, not stop glaring. "What does it mean?" he repeated, for the third time.

"Just a little trick of my new brand power." Teach raised hand, his palm forward waves of darkness spilling out. "It can suck in anything."

Ace watched in horror as one of the barrels was pulled and then sucked into that black hole until it disappeared completely. Then the darkness disappeared as if it was nothing. Ace breathed deeply, so that was what happened to Sabo? He was alive, otherwise the vivre card would have burned away completely, but the darkness felt so deep. Ace couldn't bear the thought of Sabo being prisoner inside.

"Pull him out," he ordered slowly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Teach replied. He was serious. Then he looked at Ace's fist, already surrounded by fire, and shook his head. "I don't think attacking me is the best solution. I don't have control of my power as I should, so who knows what could happen to Commander Sabo?"

The fact that he called Sabo by his title was unnerving, but Ace could admit to himself he was right. Ace hadn't any doubt he could actually finished his job, but after? Was it possible to recover Sabo after Teach's death? Ace couldn't take the risk. Besides, they were on a boat, which was a dangerous place for a fight when one of the opponents had a hostage. His fire slowly disappeared.

"Smart move," Teach approved. "Now, I'd like to have a little chat with you, if you don't mind." He indicated the door leading to the lower deck.

"I have a choice?" Ace asked, but then nodded and preceded Teach to the hallway.

"No, I'm fine." Teach stopped his men who were following them, and he closed the door of the galley so they could be alone. He sat down at the table, waiting for Ace to join him. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Cut the crap, Teach." Finally, Ace took a seat across from him. "What do you want?"

He smiled. "Join my crew."

Ace was left speechless.

"I've been watching you for these last few years Ace, and I admire you," Teach continued. "Unlike the other idiots there, it's not too late for you. Whitebeard's age is done. I'll be the king of the pirates."

Ace stared at him, incredulous.

"But first I need a great crew, and I'll be happy to have you. I was planning to use Sabo, but I have a back-up plan so I could even let him go, as a welcome gift." His tone was sweet, honest.

"What plan?" Ace's throat was so dry he barely managed to speak. He swallowed.

"I need someone as a proof for the Marines so I can become a member of the Warlords," Teach explained. "Sabo would be great, of course, but I have someone else in mind, Straw Hat Luffy."

"Straw Hat Luffy," Ace repeated, his eyes wide.

Teach nodded. "He defeated Crocodile and burned down the Government flag, I'm pretty sure he's worthy enough to be an offering for a position in the Warlords."

"He's my little brother."

"Eh?" Teach blinked. "Now that I recall, Sabo was surprise too when I mentioned him... I didn't expect him to be-"

Ace jumped up, the chair falling behind him, and slammed his hands on the table. "You're threating both of my brothers, you killed Thatch, you disrespected Pops' name, and now you have the guts to ask me to join you? You're insane."

Teach wasn't fazed by his outburst. "At least you can appreciate I didn't blackmail you," he replied. "I'm serious when I talk about wanting you in my crew. Giving up both Straw Hat and Sabo could delay my plan... but okay. I waited for twenty years, I can wait a little more."

"What part of 'I'm not joining you even if you are the last pirate in the world' isn't clear?" Every word Ace pronounced was a stab in his heart. His yes could free both his brothers from the danger, but Ace couldn't drop his principles. There would be another way to save them without giving up his own life. Teach was everything he despised, and in no way he could let everyone think he was Teach’s crewmate, no matter how much the man said he appreciated Ace.

"I see. It's a pity." Teach shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you could save Sabo from the execution." He stood up and moved towards the door.

"Wait." Ace didn't realize he had spoken until Teach turned his head back to him. But, truth was, he had nothing to offer the man. He couldn't join his crew, and he couldn't risk defeating him only to lose Sabo because of the fruit's power. At the same time, he couldn't let Sabo slip from his hands. Not again. "You just need someone to give to the Marines, right? Then what about me?"

"What about you...?"

"Take me instead of Sabo. I'll surrender and you can let him go. It's a favor I'm asking here..." His voice trailed off, he was so angry at himself for begging the pirate before him. "But if you really were honest just now, then you could grant me a wish."

"Your loyalty is cute. Stupid, but cute," Teach answered, no mocking in his tone. "But it's not possible. You're a Whitebeard Pirates, sure, but Sabo is a Commander. He has a lot more value for the Marines. I'm sorry."

"If that's the problem, well, I can assure you the Marine will be more than happy to have me. They've been searching for me since before I was born."

For the first time, Teach was surprised by the turn of the conversation. "I'm listening."

Ace sighed. He hadn't said these words in years, and it was hard to do in front of such a despicable man. But he had no choice.

"I am Gold Roger's son."

 


	7. Third Section - Part 2

Sabo woke up abruptly.

He didn't understand at first what had happened, but his body knew. It was the pain from the wounds of the battle, the cold and harshness of the stone, the uncomfortable position that brought everything back.

He blinked and then looked around. He was chained. Both his wrists and ankles were bound tight with seastone shackles; another chain around his torso kept him settled the wall at his back. His arms were spread wide from either of his sides and that made his fingers hurt from lack of proper blood flow. He was in a cell with thick seastone bars, but even with that, he could see the two guards in white uniform standing at either side of the cell door.

He groaned. Being defeated by Teach was bad enough, how could he be so unlucky to be found afterwards by the marines? Life was unfair.

He shifted and the chains jingled. The two guards noticed the movement. "He's awake..." one of them whispered.

"I'll call the Vice Admiral," the other said, and hurried to leave the room. The remaining one pointed his rifle at Sabo. It was obvious he wasn't comfortable being left alone, and Sabo raised an eyebrow. He was pleased to be considered so dangerous even while beat up and chained. Since speaking with the scared marine was useless, Sabo waited for someone to inform him of his fate.

A few minutes later, another marine entered in the prison corridor and the men relaxed. "I'm Vice Admiral Onigumo," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you," Sabo answered.

"Blue Dragon Sabo from the Whitebeard Pirates," Onigumo declared, ignoring Sabo’s sarcastic remark. "In order to fulfill justice, you'll be locked in Impel Down until your upcoming execution."

"You already scheduled that? You guys sure are fast!"

"You're too dangerous to be left alive for too long."

"You mean because of my Captain," Sabo corrected him with a smirk. "I hope you're all fully aware that threating my life means declaring war to Whitebeard."

The guards trembled visibly, but Onigumo's face was like stone. "Yes, we're fully aware of that." Then he turned to glare at his men. "I'm sending support in here," he commented, annoyed.

When he left, Sabo sighed and leaned his head back against the cold wall. He wasn't as sure as he had pretended to be. He had so many feelings inside him he found difficult to deal with them at once. There was guilt, anger, frustration, sadness... and fear. As much as he couldn't accept the defeat he had suffered, the only thing that was in his mind was the thought of the war this would bring.

No doubt Pops and the others would come to save him, even if they would have to fight the Marines. He could accept their disappointment in knowing he couldn't kill Teach, even if he didn't like it, but forcing his family in a fight they didn't have any chance to win only because he failed... that wasn't something he could accept.

He tested the chain that held him, determining they had used more than enough and seastone on top of that, even if it was well know he didn't have any devil fruit abilities. Plus, Onigumo kept his word, and a dozen men stormed in the room with rifles in their arms. Escaping wasn't a possibility. The Marines were fully aware of the importance of having him as a prisoner. The only thing he could do right now was endure, and save his energy until the right time.

"I'm thirsty. And hungry," he said. "When will be dinner time?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh, com'on..." Sabo smiled in a reassuring manner. "You don't want me to die before your party, do you? And it's gonna happen if you don't feed me."

Then, someone threw a bucket of water at him. The water splashed from his chest up, sticking his not-so-blond-anymore hair to his face and increasing the pain of the still open wounds. Sabo coughed and then shut his mouth, lips sealed, because of the bad taste. The bucket was definitely the one from the floor cleaning and dirty water was now sliding down his hands, faces and chest.

"Drink that, pirate scum" one of the marines said.

Sabo's eyes hurt, but he still managed to glare at him. His hand bent in the familiar form of the Dragon's Claw, covered by Haki, but when he tried to move forward, the chains stopped him, almost surprising him.

The marine had taken a step back, but when he saw how restrained Sabo was, he smirked satisfied. "We need you alive, but just barely. After all, you'll die anyway."

The desire to break the man's skull kept growing, but Sabo took a deep breath and brought his Haki back under control. He could take pleasure knowing they were so bold only because he was chained, otherwise they wouldn't stand a chance and they knew it. Sabo could already taste his revenge once he was free.

For now, he would endure all the bullshit they could throw at him. He would not waste energy on them. He swallowed the dirty water and hoped his execution would take place soon. He couldn't stand more than a few days without any food.

***

The Whitebeard Pirates flew into activity as soon as the news of Sabo's capture was announced in the newspaper. It didn't speak about the execution or a date for said execution, but in their mind there was no doubt it wouldn’t be put off for long... The Marines knew them well enough to act before the Whitebeard Pirates could properly respond.

In general worry about how they would free Sabo took all their attention, so that nobody cared about the news of Teach joining the Warlords. Yes, they read it, and yes, they had some theories about the reason, one of them being that Teach was seeking protection from them. Still, nobody spoke about it or hinted at it. They had more pressing matters, such as Pops' health.

In fact the first thing Whitebeard did after reading about Sabo's capture was get angry at the Government for doing such a thing, something Marco could agree with, and the second was free himself from his IV, much to the worry of Marco and disappointment of Curie.

This time, Whitebeard didn't make any excuses. "Shut up," he said. "This is a war and I'm not letting them think I'm weak. I am not."

Curie frowned, but she pursed her lips and said nothing. She knew very well they should go to save Sabo, no matter how small their hopes were, so she understood. Marco shot her a glare, and then sighed. If even the head doctor of the ship couldn't do anything, the only thing remaining was to worry.

The Commanders had calmed down their Divisions and in particular the Second one. Bad news spread fast, so everyone found out about Sabo's fate and was interested to know their next move. One thousand and six hundred people speaking all at once definitely wouldn't help find a strategy, so the Commanders ordered the crew to calm down and stay put while they were speaking to Pops.

"I'm sorry," it was the first thing Pops said to them. "The Marines will do everything to kill me. If I wasn't so famous saving Sabo wouldn't be so hard."

Marco rolled his eyes.

"Stop it, Pops. We have something else to speak about than who is at fault." The fact that Jozu was the one to express the thought when he was usually one of the most quiet ones, was a strong indicator of the feelings of the crew.

Pops smiled slightly, but nodded. "I have no idea when they'll execute Sabo, but it'll be soon. Sengoku isn't stupid and he knows it'll be too risky to keep him prisoner for long. As for the location, my bet is on Marineford."

"So we won't attack Impel Down," Haruta stated. She looked disappointed.

"As much as I’d like to, no," Pops confirmed.

"Marineford..." Rakuyo murmured. There were only three places pirates, even strong ones, feared in the world, the three government bases: Enies Lobby, the island of judgement, Impel Down the fortress prison, and Marineford, the headquarters of the Marines. "They'll throw everything they got at us."

"Then we need to be ready," Jiru snapped.

"Pops," Marco drew his attention. "We have little time to prepare. Tell us what we need to do."

Whitebeard nodded. "First thing, Jiru, contact the allies. I'm sure they're moving already, but we need a rendezvous, and they need to know our moves. Some of them could be too far, but I want them ready as soon as possible."

"I can assure you, they'll be all there," Jiru said.

"Fossa, I will ask you and your division to take on extras," Pops continued. "Ask help from everyone who doesn’t have a duty. We need all of our fleet to be ready. I can't assure you we won't lose any ships, not even the Moby Dick."

Fossa gritted his teeth. As a carpenter, he loved their ship a lot and only the thought of losing it made him truly angry. "We were making another Little Moby," he announced anyway. "They'll be ready in time."

"And I can promise, they will be well armed too," Vista added. Cannons weren't so effective in the type of battle they would be facing, but he wouldn't let any of the ships go down easily. Every member of the crew would have twice the armament of a normal marine.

"Namur, I'd like you to go ahead of us to Fishermen Island. You'll inform the king and everyone else about the situation. They won't like so many pirate crews passing by their island, but we have no choice."

"I'm already there," he nodded.

"It is possible the Marines will spy on us. We can't let them have this advantage too."

"Don't worry, we'll sink or kill everyone daring to come too near," Kingdew offered, and Blamenco at his side agreed.

"Jozu, we can't waste time waiting for supplies. Ensure we have everything we need for at least a month. The Fourth Division can help you." Since Jozu didn't ask any questions, Pops ended his speech with one last statement. "Everyone else, please take care of your division and support the others in their work."

The Commanders nodded, and looked at each other. They had lived together for so many years they already knew how they could split the workload to be most efficient.

"We'll decide our strategy as soon as the Marines make a move," Pops finished. "Any question?"

"One," Marco said. "What about Ace?"

The others looked at him, surprised. They had been so worried about Sabo, they had forgotten Ace had left the ship weeks before.

"Wasn't he looking for his brother, the Straw Hat guy?" Izou asked, unsure.

"Yes, but he was searching for Sabo too," Marco explained. "He felt guilty because he was the one who convinced Sabo to go after Teach."

"They didn't arrest him too, did they?" Haruta wondered, with a shiver.

"No, no, impossible!" Curiel exclaimed, mostly to convince himself. "They would have spoken about that. Two Whitebeard Pirates at once? We would have seen the Marines gloating from here."

"And Ace did refuse their invitation in the Warlord," Atmos added. "No, he's still out there."

"He'll be back," Pops said. "I'm just sad he is all alone hearing this news."

"That is what worries me," Marco commented. "Ace is smart about fighting, but Sabo... I can say he's Ace’s weakness. I'm worried he'll do something stupid."

"Even so... Impel Down and Marineford are hard to reach," Vista said. "Ace would calm down during the travel, and realize it's best come back and fight with us."

"He'll come back," Pops agreed.

Marco sure hoped so.

***

Impel Down was boring.

They didn't bother to check his health or treat his wounds, but they were only worried about Sabo dying before the execution time. So no his arrival, they just threw him in a cell in the lower part of the prison and basically forgot about him.

The silence helped him reflect on his situation. It was great to plan an elaborate strategy for when would be on the scaffold, and yet, it was terrible because he couldn't stop the guilt about everything he knew would happen. He closed his eyes and imagined his brothers and Pops fighting and dying in front of him, while he was chained and helpless… and Teach's satisfied smirk. He didn't want to think about it.

Luckily his execution time was near, so he could soon stop imagining events and start seeing them.

Jinbe's imprisonment in the same cell made everything worse, not only because it made the war which they were preparing for outside the prison's wall more real, but because it intensified Sabo's regret of his actions. Jinbe was arrested because of Sabo, because he didn't want to fight against Pops. So, in the end, it was Sabo's fault.

At least, Jinbe was someone better to talk with than the other prisoners; most of them hated Whitebeard and were happy about the Marines killing him. Jinbe also enlightened him about the situation outside, including the news about Teach becoming a Warlord after delivering Sabo to the Marines. Sabo realized this probably was the reason why Teach had been searching for Luffy, who had defeated Crocodile.

So his arrest wasn't quite as unlucky as Sabo had first thought, although this didn't make him feel better. Sabo didn't understand the reason for Teach's move, but it still worried him, because Teach was a cunning bastard with a plan behind all his moves. Add to that, the fact that the Warlords would be at the summit war, was even more worrisome.

Unlike Sabo, Jinbe didn't save his energy, lashing out when provoked so he often ended up being beat up by the demoniac guard. However, also different from Sabo, Jinbe wasn't hurt from a previous fight, and also wasn't awaiting execution. This meant he didn't need to be in a condition ready for the scaffold, and it was for that reason Sabo didn't bother to ask him to stay calm.

When the elevator stopped at the sixth floor, Sabo was sure it was another demoniac guard, since Jinbe had been testing his chains again. Instead it was Magellan, with some of his men, a new prisoner, and a Vice Admiral. Sabo didn't pay them attention until they were in front of his cell, then he rolled his eyes. He couldn't stand the Marines and their idea of justice. They were so happy Sabo had been arrested and that his death would lure Whitebeard out, without even realizing how much the crew meant to Sabo. The Whitebeard Pirates had saved him from a World Noble and from an abusive family according to Ace. Where was their so called justice back then?

"Sabo... Jinbei... You have a guest," Hannyabal said, introducing the woman with them, who wasn't a prisoner after all, despite the handcuffs. "I'm sure you've heard of her, but never seen her in person... Boa Hancock, of the Seven Warlords."

"And what the fuck do you want from me?" Sabo spat. He didn't like the Warlords, excluding Jinbe because he had an entire island to protect. Hancock was no exception, and definitely not about to become one because her beauty.

"Nothing," she replied. "I just wanted to see for myself the trigger of the war I'm going to participate in."

"Are you an idiot?" Sabo asked. He was honest; he saw no point in coming to Impel Down, a living hell, just to see a prisoner that would be under everyone's eyes in a matter of hours.

"What did you say?" Hancock snarled, revealing her real character below her physical appearance.

"That you are an idiot."

Hannyabal held onto her arms, scared she would move forward in her anger, but the commotion of the pirates in the other cells stopped their conversation. Sabo didn't care; even if it was a way to spend time, he wasn’t interested in talking with any of them. He doubted they could give him any useful information about the upcoming war.

As Magellan was calming down the rioting pirates with his poison, Hancock attracted his attention. "You don't deserve it moron, but I'm doing it for Luffy," she said. "He's here and he's going to free you."

Sabo was left speechless. "Luffy...? Luffy is here?"

The commotion stopped, so Magellan and the others returned their attention to Hancock who didn't say anything more specific. She just smirked, satisfied for having shut him up. "That’s right. He said he's not going to make the same mistake twice."

Luffy had talked about the past, when both he and Ace didn't come to take Sabo from his family which had lead up to Sabo escaping alone and getting shot. Sabo didn't remember, so he didn't blame them, but it was easy to understand they blamed themselves.

"What did she tell you?" Jinbei asked, as they left.

"Luffy... Straw Hat Luffy... is here."

"You mean the brother Ace talks always about? Here?"

"He's my brother too…" Sabo confessed. Outside the crew there were few people who knew he and Ace had met in the past, and even less who knew about Luffy's role. They believed he was just Ace's little brother. "He wants to free me."

And as much as Sabo hoped for him to succeed, he knew it was impossible. Luffy could die. Luffy would die, especially if Magellan found out about him, and all of that just to save a brother who didn't even remember him or their bond.

Ace was so going to kill him.

***

Ace didn't come back.

Marco waited and waited, he kept his mind busy with the travel and strategy planning, as well as worrying about Pops' health, but after they traveled back to the Paradise to attend at Sabo's execution, he couldn't wait anymore.

"Don't you think he's waiting for us to come here?" Curiel asked him.

Marco was sitting on the giant whale figurehead, looking at the sea, and it was easy to understand what he was thinking about. It became even clearer when Curiel noticed Ace's vivre card in the palm of Marco’s hand. Unlike Sabo, Ace's was intact, which meant he was alive and healthy.

"It’s a possibility," Marco said.

"But you don't believe it."

Marco sighed, but waited for Curiel to sit down next to him before speaking again. "Ace told me what happened in his past between him and Sabo. He is torn with regret about the accident Sabo lost his memory in, because he didn't do anything to prevent it. Having Sabo in danger again now..."

"It's like living through what happened ten years ago all over again," Curiel understood.

"And I fear that regret could force him to do impulsive things," Marco added.

Curiel didn't know much about Ace and Sabo's story. Ace spoke a lot about his little brother, but he avoided the stories with Sabo, mostly because it wasn't easy for Sabo listen to them. But now that he had this piece of information, Marco's worries were understandable.

"We need you," Curiel said. "We're two commanders short, and we can't afford to lose you."

"I know." Marco stood up, gave a last look to the vivre card to memorize the direction it pointed and then put it back in his pocket. "It won't take long, and with luck Ace will be with me."

He transformed his arms into wings and flew into the sky, before turning completely into the form of the phoenix which gave him more speed. Ace could be anywhere, so he would have to move fast if he wanted to come back before the war. Sometimes, he stopped to check the vivre card and the direction it pointed to.

Occasionally he would take the time to shift partially back and check the direction of the vive card once more, and then he had to even double and triple check. At some point it had moved to where it indicated... Marineford! As soon as Marco realized this, he flew higher and adjusted his course so that anyone looking to the sky would not be able to see him against the sun. They had managed to destroy every ship the Marines had sent to spy on them; Marco couldn't waste that effort now by letting their enemies see him. But he also needed to confirm Ace was really there.

Marco circled the Marine base a couple of times, always keeping himself too high to be spotted, but no matter how he moved, the vivre card never stopped pointing to the enormous buildings of the Marine's headquarters. Marco couldn't risk getting close to see exactly where Ace was hiding, or at least, Marco hoped Ace was hiding somewhere. The vivre card proved he hadn't been in a fight and gotten hurt, and it was hard to believe the Marines had arrested him without taking credit for it, or that Ace had been caught without a fight. The only explanation Marco could find was that of Ace finding a way to enter into Marineford, ready to attack at the right moment to free Sabo.

Which Marco found reassuring. The entire crew and the Moby Dick would be there as well, so they would be able to support Ace in whatever plan he had in mind; that is if the Marines didn't discover him first.

Marco shivered at that possibility. He had no choice but to go back and hope Ace was smart enough to maintain his cover until they arrived, and then they could save Sabo together.

***

As Magellan came to collect Sabo from his cell to deliver him to the Marines, Sabo was relieved. It was time. A few more days in that condition and every bit of energy he had saved would have disappeared because of the lack of food and movement. He regretted leaving Jinbe behind, but he hoped the Marines would release him once the war was over. Otherwise... he could ask Pops to do something about it.

That would be the second reason to assault Impel Down, the first one being Luffy. Sabo had heard no news about him, or what happened to him in the prison, but Hancock didn't lie. He knew that for sure. She couldn't have known about his relationship with Luffy, unless Luffy himself had told her.

Sabo looked at Magellan, who acted as if everything was normal, and then followed him in the dark hallway, wondering if he had killed Luffy. Magellan’s poison was lethal even if he was supposed to arrest people and taking them in custody without killing them.

"Will I have a last wish?" he asked, as they entered the elevator. His voice was rough, but clear. The soldiers who were escorting him blinked, surprised he had spoken, and Magellan turned his head slowly to look at him. Sabo held his gaze, but didn't make any moves.

"We couldn't grant any of your wishes," Magellan answered.

"Try me," Sabo replied. Their so-called-justice should at least give their prisoners a chance; otherwise it would all just be talk. Well, it was just talk most of the time regardless.

Magellan sighed. "What would you like?"

"Straw Hat Luffy," Sabo murmured. "What can you tell me about him?" His question was vague; because he couldn't be sure Luffy had been found. A little part of him hoped he was still hiding in the prison somewhere.

But the way Magellan's eyes opened gave him the confirmation that Luffy had been found. He couldn't say anything else about his situation now. He waited for an answer, but Magellan remained silent until the door of the elevator opened. Then he took a step forward, and the loudspeakers screamed.

"Straw Hat Luffy has reached Level Six! With him are Ivankov and Inazuma of the Revolutionary Amy, who disappeared years ago. They're going to free the prisoners on that Level, including Crocodile and Jinbei!"

"Seal the level and use the gas," Magellan ordered. His teeth flashed as he grit them. "You got your answer," he spat at Sabo.

Yeah, he got it, but he didn't like it. Luffy was still alive, but not for long. Sabo looked around. There were dozens of guards behind him, but none strong enough to stop him, even if his arms were bound behind his back. The only problem was Magellan; Sabo’s energy levels wouldn't be enough to protect himself from poison with his Haki.

"Let's go," Magellan ordered, gesturing the way with his arm.

Sabo bit his lip, but with a last look at the closed door of the elevator behind him, he moved forward. He couldn't risk losing all the reserves he had carefully saved in the past few days for a suicide mission. Pops and his crewmates, his family, would be waiting for him in Marineford and he would give them all the help he could.

Because of that, he would leave Luffy behind. His mind made up as many excuses as he could to justify his action. Luffy was able to reach Level Six, he was strong and lucky, he could escape from here. Or at least endure as much time until someone to came to save him, and Sabo hoped Pops would agree with a little detour to Impel Down. Luffy had freed Jinbei, who knew about him and, Sabo was sure, could protect him.

Ace, I'm so sorry... Ace wouldn't have left Luffy behind, and Sabo feared the moment he would confess his decision about leaving Luff to Ace.. Luffy was Ace's little brother, but for Sabo... Luffy was still a stranger. Sabo just couldn't put him before his family.

***

No matter how much Ivankov kept repeating how fighting in the war at Marineford would be hard for him, Luffy wouldn’t stop. He didn’t care that he had just recovered from a lethal poison, and was only still moving because of Ivankov’s hormone injections, he would not stop.

He just couldn't.

In the past, he hadn't gone to save Sabo. He would have, but he had chosen to listen to Ace and just wait for Sabo to return to them… but Sabo never came back. That is, until he had met with a much older Sabo in Alabasta.

Luffy wouldn't lose the second chance he had to save Sabo; especially after having been so close to finding him. It had made him so angry to reach Leven Six two minutes after his big brother was carried away.

No, he wouldn't stop, not until Sabo was safe. If he had to defeat all of hell and work with people like Crocodile to do it, he would do just that.

What he wasn't prepared for, however, was to meet Blackbeard as he fought his way through that hellhole. One minute before Luffy was fighting with a man blabbering about justice, as if he could care about something so pointless when his brother's life was in danger, and the next the blabbering man was defeated by the same fat man with very bad taste he had met in Jaya.

"Blackbeard!" Jinbei exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It took Luffy just a minute to realize what those words meant. "You're Blackbeard?" He didn't like him when they had met in Jaya, but he could understand the way he thought about dreams. Now Luffy found out he was Blackbeard, the crewmate killer Sabo had been looking for, the one who had defeated Sabo and the reason he had been put in Impel Down.

"I can ask you the same question." Blackbeard's gaze shifted from Jinbe to Luffy. "Straw Hat! You were so lucky to avoid being captured by me and yet you came here willingly?"

"I'm here to save my brother," Luffy replied, hands clenched.

"Ace?" Blackbeard blinked.

"No, Sabo. He's my brother too."

"Oh, really? Well, you're full of surprises." Even if they were in the most dangerous prison of the world, the man was relaxed and a nice conversation. "But, after all, you should thank them both for you still being free."

"What do you mean?" Luffy took a step forward, and Jinbei put a hand on his shoulder, reminding Luffy to not lose control.

"Well, at the beginning you were my target, don't you remember?" Teach answered, with a smile. "But you got lucky enough to escape, and when Sabo came to me... I took the chance with him, so I'm not interested in you anymore. You're safe."

"As if you could beat me," Luffy replied. He was a lie, maybe the only lie he could actually say, because deep inside he knew he hadn't surpassed his brothers yet.

"I'd like to test that, but you seemed to be in a hurry. Maybe, with your luck, you'll reach Marineford in time."

Luffy took a deep and felt Jinbe's grip tighten on his shoulder. They're short on time, but first there was something else he needed to know. "What about Ace? You said I should thank him too."

Ace didn't get arrested, and since old Nyon had told him about the Whitebeard Pirates, and about how it was a sure thing that they would come to save Sabo, Luffy thought Ace was with his crew, ready to save Sabo. It didn't prevent Luffy going ahead of everyone to Impel Down, because Hancock could gave him the chance to save Sabo before the war could happen. Luffy couldn't stand still while Ace and his crew did all the work.

"We had a deal, but he was unlucky."

"What did you do to Ace?!"

Jinbei couldn't hold Luffy anymore as he rushed forward and hit Blackbeard in the chest with a Jet Pistol. Blackbeard was quick to recover, gripping Luffy by the arm and slamming him into the ground. Luffy screamed.

"Why? He's rubber," Crocodile murmured, surprised.

Jinbei grabbed Luffy by the shoulder, stopping him from throwing another attack. "We don't have time for this. Marineford isn't as near as it seems and if you really want to save Sabo we need to go."

Luffy was still breathing angrily, his lips tightened, but then he nodded. Sabo's life was in imminent danger, and he couldn't lose the chance. It didn't mean he wasn't worried about Ace.

"I will save Sabo," he declared. "Then I'll come back for Ace."

"I wish you luck, then." Blackbeard smiled. "I'm not giving up on Ace so easily... but now, I have something else to do too." He and his crew passed Luffy’s group and advanced deeper into the prison.

"Let's prepare for the big show!"

Luffy shot a last glare at Blackbeard. He didn't understand that man, or what he was planning. But right now, he had more pressing matters. Jinbei moved forward and Luffy followed him, hiding the fear of Ace's fate in the depth of his mind. Once he saved Sabo, they could search for Ace together.

***

Sabo didn't pay attention to anything as he was led toward his fate. Not to the Marines who brought him up the scaffold and forced him to knell. Not to the entire show that was created around his execution. Not even to the blabbering of Sengoku about how important to get rid of one of the Emperors was. The only thing that mattered to him, in that moment, was seeing Ace again. He needed to tell him about Luffy's whereabouts, and he needed to see Ace’s face when he found out how Sabo had left Luffy behind. To know how much it would hurt, Sabo needed to face it.

A surge of relief came over him when the water of Marineford's bay parted the three Little Mobys, as well as the Moby Dick appeared right in the center of the marine base. Sabo scanned the group of pirates for Ace, but they were too far and he was only able to spot the Commanders. Even if he expected Ace to be in the first row, he was a normal pirate in the Second Division, after all.

Then Whitebeard appeared in all his glory, stopping at the top of the figured head. "Are you okay, son?"

Sabo forgot his worries as he finally looked at his father and his family. His gaze also passed over the forty allied crews who had come for him. Sabo had met all of them many times, even when he was just a child, and he remembered the feeling of family they had shared,

"Pops... Everyone..." he called out, hoping his voice was strong enough to reach them, even though they were still so far away from him. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you! I wasn't able avenge Thatch, but..."

"Son, from what I recall-" Pops started, but Sabo cut him.

"Please, save me!" he screamed. His cry was answered immediately by the crew's screams. What they said was impossible to understand, because they were speaking all together, but Sabo deep inside knew their feelings. He would have reacted in the same way.

He smiled, his own a match to Pops' smile as the older pirate started the war with a tsunami. He finally started paid attention to the scaffold he was on. The chains held him securely to the platform and were made of seastone, so he still couldn't break them. However, since he wasn't a devil's fruit user, he was not weakened any further by the mere touch of the stone. The scaffold itself was made of wood and iron, something he could easily destroy when he needed to.

Sabo couldn't hesitate anymore, nor could he wait for Ace when all his family was fighting. Soon he would be free, and soon he could settle things with Ace and then go back for Luffy. For now, he needed to focus on the few things he could do to help everyone.

***

Focusing was hard for Marco. It wasn't just the fact that his little brother could be killed in at any time, not even his concerns about Pops' health; no, his big problem was Ace. Marco was eager to see him again, to see what the hell he had prepared for the war, and why the hell he ended up in Marineford without having contacted them.

He kicked the marines in front of him and tried to spot Ace's face among them. Had he hidden as one of the fighters, ready to free Sabo when everyone was focused on the battle against the pirates? Marco expected, or better, hoped to see Ace's main show, when his fire would shine for all to see and the Marine’s surprise.

What Marco did not expect was Ace's little brother to pull a trick on them, with one of the best entrance he had ever seen. He fell down from the sky with a ship and the most amazing and crazy group of people one could image, from Warlord to former Warlord, to revolutionaries.

Ace told them about Luffy and about how insane he was, but seeing the real deal was a different story. Not only because of his part in destroying Enies Lobby and burning down the Government Flag, but because he just jumped into the middle of a battle between two of the strongest forces of the world like it was nothing. He even challenged Pops - Pops! - about him being the future King of the Pirates, and the one to save Sabo.

Marco was left so stunned he couldn't move. Luckily he had powers of regeneration, so even if the marines hit him he simply healed away the damage. However the Marines were just as shocked as him about everything that happening in front of them; it was funny.

"Luffy!" Sabo screamed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save you!" Luffy replied as if the answer was obvious.

"You can't do that! We're not even related! Let my crew take care of this!"

It began to not be so funny then as Marco understood the implications of the entire situation. Luffy knew about Sabo, that much was clear. How, Marco couldn't tell, but it wasn’t important now. The important thing was that Luffy was here in Marineford and Ace was not. Well, Ace should be here according to his vive card, but for now he wasn't in sight. Marco expected to see him coming out ready to fight along with his little brother that he loved so much… and yet, Ace wasn't there.

Marco started to worry again. No matter what the situation, he could not come up with a reason in the world for Ace to not be at Luffy's side... unless someone or something was preventing him to. What scared Marco most, was having no idea of who or why. The Marines would have used him as a hostage, as they were doing with Sabo, so he could rule them out.

Meanwhile, Luffy kept going and defeated one of the marine giants. "Don't care. You're my brother and I'm gonna save you even if you don't remember!"

"Marco," Pops called to him. "I won't forgive you if you let that boy die."

"Sure." Marco smiled slightly. No need to be ordered to protect Luffy, he would do it anyway, not only because he was Ace's little brother, but because he actually liked him, craziness and all. And because, right now, Marco was the only one who could do that, since Ace wasn't around. If Pops was as worried as him about Ace's disappearance, he didn't show it. However, no matter what, they could only move forward. The only sure thing they knew would be Sabo's death if they didn't save him in time.

***

Ace was so— going to kill Sabo.

Storming into Impel Down was bad enough, throwing himself into the middle of the worst war was even worse, and only to save a brother that didn't even remember him.

Sabo was sure Pops and the others would help Luffy, but it didn’t ease the feelings of apprehension. There were so many things that could go wrong, one of them being his own death.

"What the hell does this mean, Garp?" Sengoku was at Sabo's side since the begining of the war, and only now had Garp joined them. Sabo wasn't surprised, since Ace had told him about their relationship; on the contrary, both marines were. "Why is your grandson here?"

"I didn't know..." Garp murmured. He sat down, making Sengoku uneasy, and sighed. "So you survived." This time, he was talking to Sabo, who nodded.

"So it seems," Sabo replied. "I don't remember anything."

"But Luffy and Ace know."

"They remember," Sabo stated.

Sengoku definitely lost his cool. "Care to inform me too?"

"Straw Hat Luffy and Portgas D. Ace considered themselves brothers, right?" Garp explained, then, annoyed. "But once there was a third brother. We thought he died back then, but..." He pointed at Sabo, with a smile. "He clearly didn't."

"Unbelievable." Sengoku shook his head, then looked at the fights below them. The scaffold was so quiet compared to the mess below. "Why isn’t Fire Fist Ace here? His crew is here. His brother is here. He isn't."

Sabo shivered. That was his same thought being voiced by the Fleet Admiral. Before Luffy's appearance, his best guess was Ace finding out about that happened in Impel Down, and going to save his little brother. Luffy could be his priority, and despite how much it hurt, Sabo would understand. He had his family. But now... no way in the world Ace would be somewhere else when Pops was at war. His only hope was Ace that was hiding for some plan Pops had devised.

Garp shrugged. "Maybe you're right and Whitebeard would make Ace the next Pirate King, so he didn't let him risk his life here." By the tone of his words, it was clear he didn't believe it. Sengoku shot him a glare.

"For what fucking reason should Ace be the next king?" Sabo exclaimed, surprised. Ace had never expressed that desire, which was his brother's own dream.

"See?" Garp smiled. "They didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

Sengoku was annoyed. "As if I would believe a pirate," he replied. "Sorry, Garp, but it has to be done." He took a step forward and started speaking in the little Den Den Mushi, so his voice could be heard by everyone.

"I was just informed that Blue Dragon Sabo and Straw Hats Luffy considered themselves brothers," he said. "But it doesn't matter... we will take the chance to kill here and now another man who's a danger for the future... Straw Hat Luffy is the son of Dragon the Revolutionary!"

Oh, that was something Ace forgot to tell him. Or maybe he didn't know. Not remembering was annoying as usual.

"Doesn't matter," Garp said. "Luffy has already made a bad reputation of his own." Then he turned to Sabo and smiled. "I'm sorry we have to meet again in this kind of situation." He was referring to Sabo’s upcoming execution, of that he had no doubt, even if it was nice to see sorrow in the old marine’s face.

"Don't worry old man," Sabo replied, more certain than he really was. "I'm not gonna die today."

Neither of the two marines next to him answered. Maybe they thought he was crazy, but Sabo didn't care. In a dangerous situation only one thing needed to be maintained, the trust in his crewmates. And Sabo's trust never wavered, no matter the gravity.

And the situation was bad. The Marines could count on their new-made robots, which were preventing the allies from advancing. Then, they surrounded the gulf with high metal wall that even Pops couldn't break. On top of that, Admiral Akainu was throwing his meteor attack at the center of the frozen gulf; right where the pirates were fighting and the Moby Dick was still held in place by the ice. Sabo's view wasn't good, but the screams could give him a good idea of what was happening.

"It's three o' clock," Sengoku muttered. "We will now proceed with the execution of Blue Dragon Sabo!" he screamed.

"That's what you think," Sabo whispered.

As the two executioners lifted their spears to stab his heart, Sabo crouched lower, so his still cuffed hands touched the platform. Using them to balance, he pushed onto his back and lifted his legs, spreading them. His feet hit both executioners on the chest, the strike shoving them off the platform and down below.

The push made Sabo tumble back onto his own arms, the chains digging into his back as he yelped in pain while struggling to turnaround into a better position. He panted, because that simple movement had absorbed most of his energy, but then smiled. He ruined the Marine's plan and gave his family some more time; plus it was nice being still alive.

Sengoku was pissed. "Bring someone else, now!"

Slowly, Sabo pulled himself into a sitting position again. He couldn't know how much time they needed to bring new executioners, so he needed to be ready for a next attack. Even if he suspected Sengoku wouldn't let him doing the same trick twice. If he wanted to survive, he would do something different, but for that he needed help.

A glimpse of blue flames gave him hope. He lifted his head and spotted Marco on top of the metal wall, only his arms turned into wings. Marco's gaze was fixed on him, and he was smiling. He saw what Sabo did. Sabo's lips stretched.

Marco was the help he needed.

***

Marco was usually good at understanding the situations he faced. As a Commander, it was his duty to keep everything under control. But in this case he found it difficult to grasp their position. They had finally managed to enter Oris Plaza, right in front of the platform, thanks to the combined efforts of Pops who, after several attempts, broke one section of the wall, and Oars, who recovered from his wound enough to push one of the surviving ships into the square. The allies were learning how to fight the Kuma robots as they now began to advance. However, Akainu’s attack had decimated their fighters, as well as given the marines some time to rest.

Pops waited until last to fight, but now his health was dropping and there was no doubt that he couldn't take too much, considering they have still Warlords and Admirals to fight. Even Luffy, who was fighting well for such a young pirate, had some difficulties remaining upright.

Time was running out, but at least Sabo had still some tricks up his sleeves.

"Marco!" he screamed, from the top of the platform. "Save me!"

Marco looked at him and spotted the two executioners who were climbing the steps to reach the platform. "I'm coming!" He called back, before turning himself fully into his animal form and jumped in the air, heading towards the platform.

Even if someone trying to shoot at him managed a hit, his powers would be enough to protect him. Pops and the others on the ground would support him. Marco’s only opponents were Garp and Sengoku, which weren't easy ones regardless of the help. As he approached he saw Garp get up, ready to fight, but before he could do anything, the platform exploded out from under him.

With his last energy reserves, Sabo used his dragon's breath attack to destroy the structure he was on. The two marines, taken by surprise and without any ground to stand on, were slow to react, while Marco spotted Sabo immediately and rushed towards him. He swooped in low, catching Sabo on his back. His weight was lighter than Marco remembered, making him wonder just how much Sabo went through while imprisoned.

"Marco..." he exhaled, moving a little on his back.

"Hold tight and keep that seastone away from me," Marco ordered, abruptly. "If I lose my power we're done for." As much as he desired to hug his little brother and make sure he was alright, they weren't safe yet and they need to remain focused.

Sabo understood, and wrapped his legs around Marco in an iron grip. The position was uncomfortable, and Sabo's knees dig into his belly, but Marco grit his beak and kept flying, increasing the speed. The Marines noticed their escape and began shooting at Marco and his passenger more earnestly. Pops and the others were protecting them from the stronger attacks, but they couldn't stop everyone. Marco felt the bullets passing through his body and his flames erupting to cure him immediately, but Sabo didn't have regeneration powers. He startled every time his legs were hit, but his grasp never loosed.

"Bring me to Luffy," he whispered. Marco nodded and moved in the direction of the boy with the Straw Hat who was kept fighting in the crowd.

As they landed, Marco kicked away some marine soldier to clear their path. Sabo finally released his grip and stumbled onto the ground, his legs trembling. Luffy watched in awe as Marco returned to his human form, then smiled at seeing Sabo behind him. The smile soon turned to crying and Luffy jumped onto Sabo, wrapping him with his rubber arms.

"Yes, Luffy, I'm happy to be here too," Sabo said, trying to get away. "But now it isn't the time, we should escape and I still have these damn handcuff..."

"Oh," Luffy murmured, releasing him. "I have the key." And reached into his pocket.

"You have the key?" Sabo repeated, shocked, as seeing Luffy who found it in the pocket. "How?"

"Hancock gave me."

"Hancock?" This time was Marco. "You mean... Oh, never mind." As astonishing it was, Ace's little brother proved to be crazy enough to do things that appeared amazing. And Marco couldn't care about how Luffy found the key, but only that he did. Marco patted him on the shoulder. "Take care of my little brother, yoi."

"Hey!" Sabo protested. "Now I'm the little brother of my little brother too?"

Luffy laughed. "Sure."

Pops had already ordered the retreat. Atmos was moving the only remaining ship back into the bay, where there was enough space between the remaining chunks of ice to escape, but the ship wasn't big enough for everyone. The allies were gathering outside of the gulf, ready to let as many pirates as possible onto their own ships.

Now that Sabo wasn't held hostage anymore, Pops stopped restraining himself and the earthquakes had gotten stronger, preventing most of the enemies from getting close. But the strongest ones couldn't be stopped, and the three admirals where sending all their attacks at the Emperor. The other commanders and Jinbe were helping as much as they could, and Marco joined them after freeing Sabo.

"No," Pops said. "I need you all to step back. My powers could harm you too, and our men need a guide. That's the role of the Commander."

"You can't fight them alone." Marco replied.

"Oh, try me, son."

"Pops..." Marco didn't joke about. He looked at his father figure, at all the wounds on his chest, which even now was covered in blood. His breath was shallow and he didn't use his Haki at all. Most of the Commanders were injured, but none as much as him. "You'll die."

Pops turned his head to face him, and Marco understood; that was exactly what he was expecting to happen. He heart Izou sigh next to him. The others understood it too.

"Then so?" Pops said. "I'm a sick old man. The world won't miss me, and I don't mind dying and bringing all this with me. But you... there's young pirates around who need to survive. They will need you in the future."

None of the Commanders moved.

"If you still see me as a father, then go!"

Vista put a hand on Marco's shoulder. He nodded, but his legs refused to move.

"Go," Jinbei said. "I'll bring him back once you’ve left." and, at the glare Pops shot him, he added. "I'm not a part of your crew, so I can do what I like!"

"Brat," Pops replied, but he didn't do anything to stop him.

Marco looked around; his brothers needed him. "Thanks." And then he moved forward.

***

Once Luffy, despite trembling hands, opened the lock, the seastone cuffs fell to the ground in a cloud dust. Sabo felt relieved, so light now that his arms could move normally again, no longer forced into an uncomfortable position. He stretched, letting the blood flow again.

Luffy looked at him with a big smile on his face. Sabo had a lot of questions for him: how the hell did he manage to get Hancock on his side? Where was his crew and how did he end up in Impel Down? Did he know Dragon was his father? What was in his brain to think everything he had done was a good idea? But he had no time.

"You're insane, you shouldn't have done it, and Ace is gonna kill me for this..." He started, "But thank you. Now let's go the hell outta here."

"I couldn't let you die again!" Then Luffy stopped, as what Sabo had said clicked something in his memory. "Ace..." he murmured. And Sabo, once the relief of his freedom faded, remembered that he was still not here. "That man... Blackbeard... He said... He did something to Ace!"

"Blackbeard..." Simply pronouncing that name made Sabo's anger revive in a rush; it was his fault from the beginning, and now he has put Ace in danger too? That man had to be stopped, and even if Sabo wasn't able to himself, he knew it had to be done.

The ground behind them trembled and Sabo looked around. Pops was fighting with less restraint than before, while his crewmates were running away back to the ships. Sabo remembered the happy scream they reserved for him when he was freed, but they would have time to party later, when they were far away from the war and the marines.

"Let's go," he said to Luffy, a hand resting on the younger pirate’s back. "As soon as we are out of here we can search for Ace."

Luffy bit his lips, then nodded. They started running, but both of them were moving slowly. Luffy hadn't stopped since they left Impel Down, and Sabo, who hadn't eaten anything for seven days; they were both running on fumes. Added to the injuries Sabo had taken from the bullets hitting him and Marco as they had flown away from the destroyed platform.

Running was hard and painful, but they could only keep moving forward.

A cold breeze came from behind, and Sabo turned his head to see Aokiji approaching them, the ground turning into ice. Sabo pushed Luffy forward, but he felt that his own legs wouldn't be able to jump away, nor would his haki would be strong enough to protect himself. Suddenly, Aokiji was smashed away the instant before he attacked by Jozu.

"You okay?" The older Commander asked.

"Not really," Sabo admitted. "But I'll manage."

The ground trembled again from a strong attack from Pops directed at Garp and Sengoku. Sabo stumbled behind, and Jozu picked him up, raising him Sabo up onto his shoulder. Sabo looked around; the earthquake and Aokiji's ice had separated him from Luffy. He spotted him few meters behind where he had fallen down and he was forcing himself up on his hands to stand again.

"No..." Sabo's eyed widened, as he saw Akainu right behind Luffy, his hand already covered with magma. "No!" With some strength he didn't think he had, he freed himself from Jozu's grip and rushed forward. His fingers bent in the Dragon's claws, even if it was weaker than usual, and he rushed between Akainu and Luffy.

Sabo screamed, as the magma slammed onto his arms, unable to protect himself with Haki. But he couldn't move aside, because if he did, Akainu’s fist would pass through Luffy, through his little brother.

And then his head hurt more than his arms, and Sabo fainted.

 


	8. Third Section - Part 3

Sabo woke up abruptly.

His legs hurt. His arms hurt. His head hurt even more. His eyes were open, but he found it hard to focus his gaze on anything. His breathing accelerated as he found himself unable to move his hands up into the air.

"Relax." Marco's voice was calm like still pool. "Everything's fine."

Sabo took a deep breath and finally was able to see clearly again. He was lying down in a bed, an IV was in his arm, and most of his body was heavily bandaged. This wasn’t really surprising, considering the battle that had been fought, and the fact that his last memory involved him stopping a magma fist. Even Marco, with all his regeneration ability, had his waist covered with bandages, a fact Sabo noticed when he managed to turn his head slowly to face him.

"What happened?" Sabo asked his voice coarse and low.

"Some explanations are in order," Marco agreed. "After you fainted, we somehow managed to escape. Right now, we're hiding on an island of the Calm Belt. We should be off the Marine's radar for now. We need some time to recover before returning to the New World."

"...Pops? The others?"

"We had some casualties," Marco admitted. "Pops is safe, but the nurses won’t let anyone see him for now. He has to rest, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't like it." The last sentence was a way to cheer him up, but Sabo bit his lips nevertheless as guilt filled him.

"I'm so sorry... I should... I shouldn't..."

"It's fine. It's not your fault." But no matter how Marco could reassure him, what had happened would haunt Sabo forever.

"What about Luffy...?" It was not an easy question to ask. His last memory was of putting himself between Luffy and Akainu, but he had fainted before he was sure he was safe.

"He survived," Marco said with a smile. "Right now he is resting in another room. Most of his energy came from a devil's fruit power, and now he's sleeping enough to recover from it."

Sabo sighed, relieved– but there was another difficult question to ask. "And Ace?"

Marco's smile fell and he shook his head. "We don't know where he is. We tried to contact him before the war and his vivre card pointed to Marineford. But he never showed up."

"Luffy... He said something about him," Sabo murmured. "But... there is no way Ace wouldn't have come to save me... unless he was forced not to."

Marco nodded. "I sent Squardo to look for him. We'll have news soon."

For a minute, Sabo remained silent. He would like to tell Marco the truth about his sudden collapse during the war, which hadn’t really been because of the pain, but deep inside he wanted to wait for Ace. He needed to wait, because he was too scared to have lost his brother in the same moment he truly got him back. Then, he pushed himself upright with his heavily bandages hands - a gift from Akainu. Burn scars were just his fate.

"You shouldn't get up, yoi." But Marco didn't put much effort in stopping him.

"I want to see Luffy," Sabo said, and he didn't wait for a reply. This time, no puppy eyes. "Tell me where he is." His legs were wounded from the bullets and trembled when he put his weight on them, so Marco took his arms and help him stand.

They left the room together, and Sabo followed Marco's lead to another room nearby. None of these looked familiar to Sabo, who wasn't able to understand if they were on a ship or in a building. But none of that mattered after seeing Luffy in his bed. He was pale and he looked much smaller than normal.

"And who the hell are you?" Sabo exclaimed, seeing a man bent over Luffy. The walk had woken up his legs, and now he was able to stand by himself.

The man looked at him annoyed. "Oh, I'm just the doctor who saved him."

"He's Trafalgar Law, one of the supernova rookies," Marco explained. "He gave us a hand with the injured."

"And why would you do something like that?" Sabo was suspicious.

"That's none of your business."

Sabo looked at Marco. The situation would be worse if he said they accepted the help of such an unreliable doctor. "Whatever," he said, shrugging. "How is he?" And he reached Luffy's bed despite Law's gaze.

"Barely alive," Law said, coolly. "But since he survived something even worse... I'm pretty positive he'll fully recover."

Sabo found a chair and sat down next to Luffy, then looked at Law, challenging him to say something.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"Not really... but it seems I have to thank you."

Law didn't expect it, so he didn't give a sarcastic remark in answer. He opened a drawer and took out some bandages. "At least, let me check your wounds since you're here."

"You treated me too?" Sabo asked, surprised.

"Your burns are bad." Law answered without actually answering the question asked.. "I won't be able to tell now if you'll be able to use your hands again."

Sabo shrugged. "I'm used to be burned."

Then, before starting to check Sabo's condition, Law turned to look a Marco. "Only one visitor at a time."

Marco lifted his hands in surrender, with a smile in his face. "I'm leaving, yoi," he announced. He had done what he could do as a big brother, now it was Sabo's turn to be one.

***

The rocky ground was hard, so was the wooden pole his back leaned against. The seastone cuffs that kept his powers under control hurt his wrists, and yet, it was still a lot better than the trunk he had been closed in for days before. Now he was only blindfolded and bound, so Ace didn't complain. Sure he wasn't happy, but deep inside he thought he deserved it.

He was the son of a demon, after all.

And since Sabo was now safe, at least his life had some worth. He had expected Teach to deliver him to the Marines instead of Sabo, not lock him up because of some secrets his father could have told him. However, as long as Teach didn't search for Luffy or Sabo anymore, everything was fine.

After all, Sabo was Luffy's favorite brother. Now that Sabo was back, Ace could entrust Luffy to him. They would be fine. Ace would miss them, but he couldn't be so selfish as to not to be happy for them.

Someone entered the cave Ace was being held in. The smell of alcohol was overpowering and foul. Ace didn't bother to raise his head to face his visitor. He remained still against his pole, even when the person came much too close for Ace’s comfort. He knew Teach had gotten some new men for his crew, but Ace wasn't interesting in making friends.

"So you're Roger's kid."

Once upon a time Ace would’ve beaten anyone who said something like that into a meat pulp, but now he was just tired. Tired of finding out that no matter how much he did in his own life, his father would haunt him forever, would always be the most prominent part of him.

"You know... I have a score to settle with Roger, and that idiot went and died on me. I really hate him."

"That makes two of us," Ace said.

But the man, as usual, didn’t listen to him. People were so quick to jump to the conclusion of associating he with his father that they never considered Ace as his own person.

A glass bottle smashed on his head and Ace shut his eyes while the alcohol glided down his face and soaked the blindfold. He didn't move at all, not even when the man kicked him in the stomach. Sure, he couldn't see, and his hands were tied behind his back and to the pole, but his legs were still free. He could try to defend himself, but he didn’t.

Ace just thought he was useless. Everything he built in his twenty years... crumbled to pieces. He wouldn't be anyone more than Roger's son, with all the consequences it that brought. Living a normal life, being himself, having a crew... They were all illusions.

***

"I can't get why you are all so calm," Catarina Devon stated with disdain. "We were so close...!"

"We arrived at Marineford when the Whitebeard Pirates had just left." Van Auger was cleaning his rifle and his voice sounded almost annoyed. "It wasn't fate."

"Fate? That was damn rotten luck!" commented Avalo.

Teach laughed. "Don't worry. Don't worry." He patted Avalo's shoulder. "The time will come."

After all, his initial plan didn't involve the Whitebeards Pirates at all, so everything he got from his battle with Sabo was a plus. And even if he would have loved to kill that man and steal his fruit, he still had some cards up his sleeves. Right now his aim was moving to the New World as fast as they could, which meant as soon as Wolf built them a new ship, leaving the Marines to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates. Let two enemies fight each other and weaken themselves.

Lafitte landed in front of him. He was using his power to check that the island was secure. "I've spotted a pirate crew approaching the cost," he announced. He had scribbled the jolly roger on a little scrap of paper, which he passed to Teach.

He smiled, looking at the paper. "See?" He said to Catarina. "Luck is on our side."

"Who are they?" she asked.

"The Squardo pirates. Weaklings and idiots, but they are Whitebeard's ally."

Avalo snorted. "How did they find us? Or it's just a coincidence?"

Teach turned his head to look at the mountain behind their base camp, with the almost invisible cave. "I suspect it's because of our special guest."

"Shall I kill them?" Lafitte asked.

"No," Teach said, standing up. "Didn't you want a second round with Whitebeard?" he commented, to his new recruits he was so proud of. "We may get the chance. Let them see us. Let them bring the news back to Whitebeard."

"And if they attack us?" Avalo was smiling.

"Then kill them."

Teach left his crew handling the situation and headed for the cave. He had always known he was destined for something great. He had waited for twenty years, true, but finally, life was giving back to him everything he could need: the fruit, some of the best men for his crew, the opportunity to kill Whitebeard. Even if his former crew had won the war, they were hurt and wounded. Weak. When he had fulfilled his part of agreement with Ace and let Sabo go, the current had brought the boat he left him in right back to Teach, even before Sabo had time to recover and wake from what the darkness had done to him. Teach, of course, had taken the chance to capture him again and deliver him to the Marines. He didn't feel guilty; he had freed him as promised, fate just didn't want him to lose the chance once he had one.

Luck was definitely on his side.

"Hey, hey!" he exclaimed, seeing that Vasco was using Ace as a punching bag. "You can't treat him in such a rude manner. He's important for us."

Vasco stopped his leg and lifted his hands, but he didn't look sorry at all. He smiled, and then he left.

"I apologize." Teach moved in front of Ace. "After so many years of prison, they're all a little pumped up."

Ace didn't answer. He sat there tied to the pole, like a broken doll, and he coughed blood before licking his lips, in a clumsy attempt to clean himself. Being forced to keep him prisoner was a waste of his potential and his strength.

"You know, my offer is still valid; even if I recruited new comrades."

Life gave him a last gift, something Teach didn't expect. A lead to the Pirate's King throne that no one else had. He hadn't even imagined that Roger had a son, but now that he knew… there was no chance Roger didn't leave a clue, something to let Ace follow his own path. And when Ace willingly had offered himself to him, Teach had known lady luck was on his side.

In the end, Ace spoke. "You don't know what having crewmates means," he stated.

"And Whitebeard does?" Teach replied. "Are you waiting for him to save you?"

"You scared?" Ace smirked, but his body shifted uncomfortable.

Teach smiled. "Funny, you seem to be the one worried."

Ace remained silent for some minutes. "They won't come. Not if they find out about my father."

"Oh, well..." Teach wanted them to come, Whitebeard especially. He wanted the chance to kill him now that they were so weak. And, if he knew the old man well enough, he wouldn't let any of his children go no matter what reasons they could have. "Let's not tell them, then."

***

Since the situation was so serious, the nurses finally let the Commanders, minus Sabo who was still with Ace's little brother, into Pops' room with the order of not letting him get up from bed. Pops still managed to be more upright, his back leaning against giant pillows, but his appearance was still not good. Bandages soaked with blood still wrapped around his torso and the many cables and lines of the life-support systems and IV connected to his arms and torso.

Curiel had already informed Pops about Squardo's report, so nobody spoke at first, waiting fo Pops to tell them his ideas about what they could do. However, Pops remained silent, his eyes closed.

"So..." At the end Haruta broke the silence. "What are we planning to do about it?"

They looked at each other, uneasy. "If Ace was with... Teach all this time," Blamenco began, finding it hard to pronounce the traitor's name. "That would explain why his vivre card pointed to Marineford. Teach was supposed to be there, as a Warlord member."

"But Teach wasn't there when we arrived," Jiru pointed out.

"We didn't check the vivre card during the battle," Rakuyu added.

"It doesn't matter," Atmos piped in. "The important question is, why? Why is Ace with him?"

"Squardo only saw Teach's crew, right?" Fossa asked. "He didn't spot Ace..."

"Wait a moment." Curiel lifted his arm. "We all agree here that Ace isn't with him by his own free will, right?" And he looked around the room at the others with an expression that wouldn’t accept no as an answer.

"I just don't get the reason," Izou sighed. "He gave Sabo to the Marines to get into Impel Down easily, now we know that. So what he's planning to do with Ace?"

"Assuming he's keeping him prisoner," Namur added.

"And how did he manage to defeat both Sabo and Ace?" Vista asked.

Marco listened to his brother's discussion without interrupting. He had as many questions as them about Ace's whereabouts, but he wasn't going to assume anything unless he had some more information. For now, he would believe in what Sabo had told him. If his little brother was so sure Ace was being kept from coming to Marineford, it was probably true.

Marco was also waiting for Pops to say something. He really thought back then at the war that he would have died and the fear of it hadn’t left him. He was relieved Pops was still with them, but death was close and Marco needed to accept that he would lose him. Pops was ready for that.

Then the door slammed open and Sabo marched into the room. His steps were heavy and his breathing labored. He stopped in the center of the room, right in front of Pops' bed. Then he took a deep sigh.

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked, cold.

"You should rest," Blenheim spoke. The excuse felt weak; the real reason was they didn't want to involve Sabo in a discussion about Teach, and about the fact Ace had something to do with him.

Marco sighed. He ordered Squardo not to tell anyone anything, but the rest of the crew, especially the former Spades Pirates, were worried and news travelled fast. Sabo wouldn't heal well while worrying about the situation.

"How could I rest while you were talking about saving Ace?" Sabo spat. And then froze. "Because you were talking about this, right?"

"Sabo..." Kingdew started, but Sabo cut him off.

"I can't believe it! See? See? That is the reason why I went after Teach, even if... well, I messed up bad, but this didn't change anything. Teach betrayed us and now we're having doubts about each other." He paused, tired of moving his bandaged arms and sweating from the fever he had because of his burn wounds. "Well? Nobody has anything to say?"

"We're tired and hurt," Izou stated. "We just wanted to figure out the situation before doing anything."

"There's nothing to figure out," Sabo replied. "It's Ace we're talking about. There is no possible way he's with Teach because he wants to!"

"Stop talking as if you know him better than us!" Izou yelled back. "He's our brother too. You don't even rememb-"

"I DO."

Sabo breathed hard, looking at the men who had basically raised him with his eyes wide.

"You do...?" It was the first time Marco spoke in the discussion, and he swallowed. He wanted Sabo to regain his memory, but now he would have to deal with a brand new little brother he knew nothing about.

"I should have told you before." Sabo admitted. "I don't know why... But when I saw Akainu and Luffy... Everything came back." He shivered. "It's frightened but... We should focus on Ace now."

Jozu took a step forward and hugged him. "Don't worry," he said, with his low voice. "We didn't doubt Ace. We just wanted to have a plan to save him; as you had a plan to destroy that platform from the beginning."

Sabo smiled at the memory, the nodded. "Sorry, guys. I should just thank you for everything, but now I have all these feelings and I'm..."

"Son." Pops opened his eye and spoke. "How are you today?"

Sabo's eyes were filled with tears. "Better. Better now." he stuttered.

Pops leaned down on his arm and let Sabo get near before hugging him. "I'm so sorry, Pops... You told me not to go..."

"It's fine. We have more pressing matters now." Pops dismissed the matter waving his hand. "So, about Ace?"

Marco decided he sucked as an older brother. Not only did he not notice the change in Sabo's attitude, but he made assumptions about Sabo’s memory. He wasn't even able to reassure him when he was so upset. Better start training again.

"We'll save him, of course" he said. "The only thing I'm worried about is the reason why Teach is holding him captive. It happened after he defeated Sabo and he didn't deliver him to the Marines. In the entire mess of what happened; both in Marineford and Impel Down, he risked having a hostage with him."

"What are you thinking?" Jozu asked.

"Teach may want to use him against us. He saw the chance and took it. After all, even if the Marine hid it, we know he went to Marineford after Impel Down. He searched for us."

"He may have another reason," Sabo said. The attention of everyone was on him again, because he was the one who knew the most. "Maybe I'm wrong and also its kinda something Ace doesn't want to speak about..."

"If we'd like to elaborate a strategy, we need to have as much information as possible," Marco said.

"It's not I haven't spilled this thing before..." Sabo muttered to himself. "Well, okay. Ace's father is someone you met many times. I'm speaking about Gold Roger."

***

They spotted him, but since none of them made any move toward him, Marco landed in the middle of the group right in front of Teach. He recognized some of the men that were with him as some of the silver medalists, pirates who weren't able to be as great as Pops or Roger. He didn't pay them any attention, no matter how much they glared at him.

"Oh, look we have here! Commander Marco!" Teach smiled. "We’ve had a lot of guests recently, isn't it true, guys?"

"I'm here to see Ace, yoi," Marco stated. He didn't make a move, his arms resting at his sides. 

Teach raised an eyebrow. "To see?"

Sure he was expecting another word, but Marco wouldn't let him see his cards yet. "Ace left without telling us. He owes us an explanation."

"Well, you'll find out you misunderstood him." Teach stood up, patting his hands on his knees. "No, I got this," he added, stopping one of his men who was moving to intervene.

Sabo explained well enough what Teach could do with his devil's fruit ability, so Marco followed him carefully. If Teach touched him, he would lose his regeneration ability, leaving him defenseless against any attack. But Marco didn't plan to fight him, not at the moment. He just wanted him to keep talking.

They entered in the small cave and Teach gestured with his arm, letting Marco pass ahead him to see the wooden pole at the center, where Ace was tied up with his arms behind his back. Marco gritted his teeth, but his voice was firm when he spoke.

"Ace."

Ace lifted his head so fast he hit it on the pole behind him. "...Marco?" His head was looking at him, even if he couldn't see him because of the blindfold. He pressed a foot on the ground, trying to stand up, but the seastone chains wrapped around the pole stopped him. "Why are you here?"

"We were worried about you. I'm bringing you home."

"Sorry? I have something to say about it," Teach spoke.

Ace ignored him. "You shouldn't have come."

"Oh, yes. Ace here was sure you would let him go if you found out a little secret about him... I'm pretty sure you'd like to hear it." Teach smiled, as Ace froze.

"Oh, are you talking about his father? Roger?" Marco asked, in a very random way. "We’ve known about it since the beginning."

"...you... what?" Ace swallowed.

It was a blatant lie. Marco had never suspected something like this, and he should admit that he hadn’t been so surprised in ages. The point was Teach didn't need to know that. Marco was sure now that Sabo was right about his reason to hold Ace captive.

"You know? Oh, well, that explains everything."

"What?"

"You know, I was wondering why you wanted Ace on the crew so badly. Now I know."

Marco looked at Teach. The urge to kick him was fighting to be free, but he kept himself under control. They weren't like him. They didn't choose their brothers because they were useful, and they definitely didn't chose Ace because his father. But, right now, Marco needed to buy time.

"Would you blame us?" And he saw perfectly how Ace froze and trembled at his words.

Teach laughed. "No. Actually is the smartest thing you did in age; even if your strategy was better than mine... well, not that I didn't try to have him on my crew. Maybe he'll accept now."

"It doesn't matter," Marco replied. "We're taking him back."

"Oh?" Teach almost purred. "You're gonna fight?"

The ground trembled and they both lost their balance, but Marco was expecting it and recovered quickly.

"This is my answer." He said, with a smile, then jumped into the air, his arms turning into wings. Teach tried to reach for him, but the second shake was so strong the mountain crumbled. Marco kicked the pole to break Ace free, then took Ace with his talons and headed for the exit of the cave.

Teach activated the black hole and Marco felt an invisible force pulling him back, even if he was moving his wings faster to try and pull away. Then the cave split into two forcing Teach to stop his attack to avoid the falling stone. Marco managed to fly outside, and quickly maneuvered to avoid Teach's crew, who were heading with difficulty to the cave.

"Hold your breath," he ordered Ace, before heading for the sea and diving into it. Marco lost his energy immediately, turning back to his human form and losing his grip on Ace's shoulder. But Namur was fast to grab them both and, with his fishman speed, it was only moments before they landed on the deck of the Little Moby, coated by the bubble that let ships be underwater.

"Atmos, we're here!" Marco screamed.

"Gotcha. We're leaving."

As much as they despised being unable to kick Teach's ass as he deserved, the only thing that mattered was saving Ace. For that reason using Pops' power and a coated ship was the best solution, and now they had to run.

Curiel bent down next to Ace, who was breathing heavily, checking his condition.

"Please take care of him," Marco whispered in Curiel’s ears. "But don't free him."

"Why?"

"I don't want him to see our wounds, not yet."

Then, without any other explanation, he headed towards Pops. "Let's go." The nurses would kill him if he let Pops take more effort than necessary, even if they understood it was the only way to save Ace.

"Just one more." Pops said, and he lashed out with a shake that broke the island's base.

Marco could accept his father would die in the future. It didn't mean he wouldn't do anything to postpone the moment.

"Okay. Last one."

***

Ace had thought about being saved by his crewmates more than once while being held captive by Teach. The entire world knew how Whitebeard and his crew reacted when one of their own was threatened. Teach was on their list for other reasons than Ace’s capture, which was really only the most recent transgression. In some way, Ace had even hoped they would come for him, or else he would become nothing more than a pet, or a possession claimed by someone else.

When he had offered himself to Teach, he had been expecting to be arrested. If that had actually happened, he hadn't hoped for his crewmates to come at all. He didn't want them in a war for his sake. He would prefer be the one to die, rather than see them die for him. However, Teach and his belief that Ace’s relationship to Roger made him in some way precious, or important, brought back a fear Ace had forgotten… or tried to.

The fear that nobody could ever love him, not even his crewmates. The fear that they would have abandoned him in the moment they found out about everything. That fear had made scared to trust anyone, even Sabo and Luffy at first all those years ago.

What happened in that cave was even worse than his worst nightmare. Marco had come. His crew had come. But they didn't see him any differently than Teach. They had lied to him for three years, just when he finally started thinking about having a place in the world. Being considered important only because of who his father was didn't flatter him; On the contrary, Ace despised it even more than people who hated Roger. At least, their hate was selfless.

Curiel had brought him in to a room and lied him down in a bed, but he didn't take off Ace’s handcuffs, nor did remove the blindfold. Ace didn't ask for it, but let Curiel check his overall health and injuries. His ribs hurt a little from the beating he had received, but other than that he was fine.

"Well, I'm almost surprised that bastards went so easy on you. In a good way of course, we were pretty worried about you."

Ace didn't answer.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Curiel chuckled. "We didn't bring too much in the way of supplies because we needed to move fast, but I promise you'll find as much food as you'd like when we get back to the island."

"Sabo is fine?"

Curiel hesitated. "He's safe. He scolded us a lot about saving you, and he'll scold us even more because we left him behind, but he needed to rest." he said after a moment, amusement in tone. "He was pretty worried too."

"At least he's fine."

"Hey. You're fine too." Curiel touched him on the shoulder, but Ace tensed. He tensed even more when Marco entered the room.

"Could you go give Pops a look?" He asked.

"Sure." Curiel stood up. "Let me guess, his last shot wasn't the last at all."

"No. And the nurses will kill us if they find out."

Curiel laughed. "I'll wrap him up."

As he left, Marco sat down next to Ace in the bed, and Ace pulled back his legs. "Could you tell me what happened?" Marco asked.

Ace wasn't sure he deserved an explanation, but in the end spoke. "Teach defeated Sabo and wanted to deliver him to the Marine. I couldn't allow it, so I proposed an exchange. He accepted. That's all."

"But in this way… you would have been the one getting arrested."

"Yes. Not Sabo. I failed to save him once before," he added.

"Instead, he kept you prisoner."

"I didn't expect that."

Marco remained silent for several minutes. "How did Teach find out about Roger?"

Ace tensed. "I told him. I had to give him something worth enough for him to give up Sabo."

"I get it, but..." Marco sighed. "That wasn't something you should have told so easily."

"Of course, so you could be the only ones using me, right?" He regretted what he said a second later, but he couldn't help it.

"What?" Marco sounded confused.

"Don't play dumb with me. I heard what you said."

"You meant in the cave? I was just letting Teach say whatever he wanted until Pops attacked."

Ace didn't listen. "At least Teach was honest, a bastard, but honest. You, on the other hands..."

"Ace, listen to me."

"Listen to what? You haven’t even tried to free me! We're here talking and I'm here tied up like a prisoner, but it's okay. I'm Roger's son, right? It's what I deserve..."

Marco grabbed him by the arms and pushed him up against the wall, leaning in close. "I was lying. I was lying to Teach to gain time. And you believed it?" The pressure on his arms eased and finally, the blindfold was removed. Ace blinked his eyes as Marco came into focus; he had never seen Marco frantic and agitated. "Come on, Ace, look at me and tell me to my face that you have so little trust in us! That you actually believed we're those kind of bastards!" And Marco's eyes were becoming wet.

Ace had never seen Marco cry. No, he had cried when Thatch died, but had kept it hidden, never letting the crew see his emotion. Now he was in front of Ace, his feelings of hurt and betrayed full exposed.

At that moment, the door opened. "Sorry, it took so long, but they were hidden too well. I almost thought I was moron enough to not bring them..." A bunch of keys were in Fossa's hands, but he stopped seeing the two of them. "What are you doing?"

"Give me the key and leave," Marco ordered. He held his hand out toward the other Commander, but he didn't take his gaze off Ace.

"Uhm, okay... But Pops would like to see Ace as soon as possible..."

Fossa tossed the keys to Marco and left, but not before Ace noticed the bandages that covered his left arm. Then his gaze moved again to Marco, taking notice now how his torso was bandaged. Ace's blood ran cold.

"Why... are you hurt?"

"You tell me, Ace."

"No, I mean..." he stuttered, "You can't... your wound..."

Marco understood then that he was referring to physical injuries. He let Ace go and took a step back as Ace slumped on the floor. "This? I told you. We're all hurt because we fought in Marineford to save Sabo from execution."

Ace's eyes widened. "What?"

"Teach still delivered him to the Marines, and he got you. He probably thought he won the jackpot." Marco's voice was cold.

"No... No... I saw him... I saw him letting Sabo go free..." His mind rushed back to the memory, the lifeboat with Sabo and some supplies sailing far away from Teach's ship with Teach himself holding onto Ace, restraining the power of Ace’s devil fruit.

Marco shrugged. "This is what happened. We were scared to death about Sabo, and scared to death about you. No way you wouldn't have come to save Sabo, right?" He made the keys jingle in his hands. "Before saving Sabo, we searched for you, but could not find you. We suspected that you were doing something on your own to save him." He bent down, and finally released Ace from the seastone handcuffs, which fell down with a loud thud.

"God. I only made things worse," Ace realized with sinking dread.

"I left you the blindfolded because I was trying to find a good way to tell you about what happened before you saw our wounds. I knew you would regret..." Marco's voice trailed off. "It doesn't matter anymore. Go see Pops; he's in the last room of this hallway." Then he left without another word.

Ace stood up after several minutes, a hand to the wall to help hold him up as his legs trembled. Now that the seastone was removed, he should feel better, but how could he? Slowly, he plodded forwards to Pops' room, postponing the moment he would talk with him. Putting off when he would have to tell him how much a jerk he was and how much he had screwed things up.

Roger always brought out the worst part of him, a part he thought he had lost years ago. But he couldn't blame his father for his own idiocy, and at least Pops deserved an apology.

The sight was even worse than Ace expected. Ace was used to Pops' IV, but they were never so much as what was connected to the older pirate now. Let alone all the bandages he had, none of which would let anyone believe they were light wounds. His strong captain, one of the pirate emperors, the future king of the pirates… looked like nothing more than an old man on his death bed. Ace couldn't hold back the sob.

Whitebeard opened his eyes and spotted him. "Son."

"I'm so sorry... I just wanted to avoid all this and... how could I face Sabo now... and you... and everyone..."

"You stink, son," Whitebeard said. "Haven't you had a shower recently?"

His words were so mundane and the argument so stupid that Ace found himself smiling despite himself. "Not really, no."

"Well, you need one, trust me," Whitebeard concluded. "But first, come here." And Ace let himself sank in his enormous arms.

***

Sabo was pissed off. Like, very, very pissed off. How could those bastards, his brothers, leave him behind while they went to save Ace? Ace was his brother too! Even before Sabo had been any of theirs. Sabo was sure they would come off with some bullshit story about him needing to rest or something similar. Didn't they understand he couldn't rest until Ace was safe?

When he saw the Little Moby come back to the little island they were hiding on, he was ready to rage, and yell, but everything he had in his mind disappeared once Ace landed on the beach in front of him from the figurehead of the ship.

Sabo took some time to look at him, to be sure he was okay. He looked sad, but safe. "I was so worried..." Sabo said quietly, and then he hugged Ace tightly, hiding his own bandaged arms behind Ace's back. He didn't miss the guilty look Ace shot to them.

"I'm sorry." Ace didn't reciprocate the hug, he just stood there. "I tried to save you, but in the end I messed up. I'm such a failure as a brother..."

"Don't say that!" Sabo protested. "I don’t even know what happened exactly, but I just know you did your best, so stop saying that."

Ace shook his head. "You don't get it. Ten years ago... I made the same mistake. I wasn't there for you. I didn't come to take you back from you father and then..."

"Are you out of your mind? I never wanted you or Luffy to fight my father for me." That had been the point. If Sabo could have gone back to them, he would have, but his father was too powerful and never would have let him go. He would have come after him, and he wouldn't have forgiven Ace and Luffy a second time for luring Sabo away. Sabo’s father had blamed them both for Sabo’s rebellion. "My father would have killed you. I went back with him to save you both, so the entire point was for you not to save me."

Sabo let him go and looked at him. Ace's eyes widened in understanding. "How..."

"I remember, Ace. I remember everything."

"God..." And, this time, Ace actually hugged him. He hugged him so tight Sabo's back ached, but he didn't care. He pressed his arms behind Ace, and held him near, until he heard him sob.

"I don't have anything to forgive you for, so please, don't say you're not a good brother anymore," he said. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I forgot, for all this time, how much you meant to me."

Ace sniffed and shook his head. "Let’s agree that no matter the other says, we could never forgive each other, because there is nothing to forgive."

Sabo nodded. His eyes focused a little on the Little Moby. Everyone was still on board, but in the same moment they were spotted by Sabo, they hurried to hide themselves below deck. Sabo smirked. He appreciated that they gave him some time with his brother, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be any consequences from them going without him.

"Let's go," he said Ace, just to bother their crewmates watching their little show. They moved to the other end of the beach, were Law's submarine was anchored. "Now, I'd like to know everything."

Ace sighed. "I was following your vivre card, but I run in Teach instead. He was keeping you in that darkness of his, and I had no idea how to save you." Sabo shivered. He remembered very well how strong that darkness was, but the thought of being imprisoned in it was terrible, even if he didn't have a clear memory of it. "So I offered him an exchange; me instead of you. Stupid, right?"

"No. No stupid at all," Sabo replied. "The one at fault here is Teach, who definitely didn't know how to fulfill a pact." Big shock.

"Not sure. Well, it's not that I'd like to defend that bastard son of a bitch, but he let you go. On a lifeboat and I assured it was far enough away before surrendering, so I was so sure you were safe..."

Sabo shrugged. "Maybe he used his darkness to bring the lifeboat back... who cares. I'm gonna kill him anyway sooner or later." His defeat burned even more than his injuries and, even if he had to wait to be strong enough, he would take his revenge.

Ace nodded. "Now tell me about Marineford," he asked. "The others didn't want to tell me anything. They're all 'it's okay now, no need to know about that' but... I need to."

"Theres not much to tell, really," Sabo answered. "I was stuck on that platform while everyone else were rushing around risking their lives to save me. It wasn't nice. Just imagine how you would have reacted if you were there."

"I would have given everything to save you."

"I know you would. And so did Luffy."

"Luffy...?" Ace's eyes turned on him, wide.

"The others didn't tell you?" Sabo was surprised. "The idiot assaulted Impel Down to free me and then, not satisfied when he missed me, he basically threw himself at the battle in Marineford. At first I was thinking you would have killed me because of this, but after regaining my memory... I was just worried about our little brother. And, you know, it's kinda embarrassing having Luffy saving your ass." His amused smile softened. "I think it was the fear I felt for him that brought back my memories..."

"Where he is? Is he safe? I need to see him!"

"We're heading to him." Sabo nodded at the submarine, and they hurried to reach it. Sabo had learned the way to Luffy's cabin, so they ignored the Heart pirates and went directly to it.

"Great. Now there's two of them," Law groaned, as he saw them enter the room. Sabo couldn't help but be the worried big brother, and that annoyed Law so much it made Sabo keep it up even more.

Luffy had awoken a couple of hours ago, something that had Sabo curse his brothers even more, but he couldn't still move very well. So he was on the bed, eating to make up for all he days he was asleep. He smiled at Sabo, but then his eyes widened at Ace.

"A-Aceeee!" he screamed. One of his rubber arms stretched and he wrapped up Ace's torso in an imitation of a hug, then pulled Ace near with the force of his elastic arm. "I was so worried about you...!" He buried the head on Ace’s chest and cried.

Ace was too tied up by Luffy’s arm to hug him, or even hit him. "You idiot! What the hell were you thinking when you thought it was a good idea to assault Impel Down?!"

"Sabo was in danger and I had to save him! You would’ve done the same!" Luffy protested, still crying.

Then Ace lowered his head and whispered, "Good job, Luffy." Which made the younger pirate cry even more.

Sabo sat down on the bed. "And here I thought you stopped being a crybaby."

"I did," Luffy said, with his eyes full of tears, his face wet, and mucus dripping under his nose.

"It doesn't matter," Sabo laughed. "You will be always our little brother."

"Even if you don't remember?"

"But Sabo remembers now," Ace said, as a matter of fact.

Luffy's eyes widened and, a second after, Sabo was tied up by his other rubber arm just as Ace had been, so Luffy could cry even more and keep both of his big brothers close. And they let him, not caring about Luffy wiping his face on them, only to continue crying right after.

If there was a moment to cry, this was it. After everything they had gone through, they were still alive. Together.

***

Since Luffy was awake for a very short time, then add all commotion about Ace's return and Sabo's memory, Law managed to kick both of the older brothers out of the room. His patient needed rest and relaxation to recover and they weren't helping.

"I don't like him," Ace stated, looking at the closed door.

"Me neither," Sabo added in agreement. "But he saved Luffy's life so we owe him."

Ace snorted, but then his gaze slide down to Sabo's bandaged arms. "And you? How are you?"

Sabo lifted one arm and tried to move a little his fingers, "I'll recover. Fire never defeated me before."

Ace smiled slightly at that, since he was fire, and he was pretty sure he was the strongest one of the three of them. "I'm talking about your memory too."

Sabo sighed. "It was strange at first, but I haven't had much time to think about it," he explained. "I was worried about Luffy and about you... so when I stopped, everything was back in place. I don't feel any different... it's like myself of the past just fused with the myself of the present. I become a new person, which is both past me and… I don't even know if it makes sense..." Sabo's voice trailed off and he smiled weakly.

"It does," Ace assured him. "Even without memory, there was something inside you. You couldn't realize, of course, but you weren't so different after all."

"I remember I wanted you to look at me without seeing my past me…" Sabo said. "Now I know why you couldn't."

"Well, I like that part of you too."

"But you like me better."

"Well, yes," Ace admitted. He had tried for so long, and he was happy to see Sabo all grown up, but in the end a not so little part of him had wanted his brother back.

"I like me better too." Sabo smiled, easing all Ace's bad thoughts. Now that he had his memory back, he could understand Ace’s feelings. "Would you like to go back to Luffy? I can distract Trafalgar for you."

Ace blinked. "And you?"

"I met him back in Alabasta. You haven't seen him in three years, you need some time."

"He thought you were dead for ten years."

Sabo laughed. "Okay, you first and I'll go second; until we find a way to kick Trafalgar out."

***

Sabo intercepted Marco on Doma's ship. The Second Division was the only one that remained on the island, mostly because the former Spades Pirates wouldn't leave before knowing Ace was safe. But now it was time they left, so Marco was preparing for the journey along with the last allies on the island. The Commanders and Pops would leave last, with the Little Moby.

"What are you doing here?" Marco asked. "I though you would be with Ace and his little brother."

"They didn't see each other for three years after spending half of their lives together, so they needed some time for themselves." Sabo smirked, because he didn't miss the little uncomfortable look Marco gave him. He felt guilty leaving to save Ace without telling Sabo anything. But Sabo decided he wasn't so pissed off anymore. "And Luffy's my little brother too."

"Right, sorry."

"Don't worry, it's strange for me too. All these things together..." But every time an old memory of his brothers came up, he couldn't help but smile. "But you know what? Now I understand you a lot more about the all big brother stuff." Which was pretty strange. Because he was once very annoyed by the idea of being treated like a kid, even though he was Commander of a Division, but now he got it. Luffy would be the crybaby and the little brother until the day he died, even if he would become the King of the Pirates. That was just how big brothers were.

"About time." Marco rubbed his head, and Sabo tried to avoid his hand. "Kid."

Sabo shot him a glare. "Well, I also hope we'll get the moment where I'll be the saving Luffy from that situation… well, not an execution of course but..."

Marco managed to grab his shoulder and bring him close. "Yes, I understand," he murmured, with a smile. Sabo stopped struggling and just rested against Marco’s chest. Having Luffy almost dying for him was so bad that he could imagine easily how Marco and the others had felt back in Marineford. He realized that he actually didn't mind all the attention as the youngest brother so much anymore.

"I was scared," Marco admitted. "When you got back your memory... looks like I was mistaken."

Sabo smiled. "I was scared too. Well, I can't say things wouldn't have be different if I had kept my memories, but... I don’t have regrets." He was sure the biggest fear of everyone was that Sabo would leave the crew. There could be something from his past, a different dream or desire, but lucky for everyone Sabo had wanted to be a pirate, even then. Besides, there was ten amazing years since then and Sabo wasn't going to leave everything or anyone.

"Good to know."

"Speaking about that..." Sabo freed himself from Marco’s grip and looked at him intensely. "I’m not the one with regrets here, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Ace." Sabo sighed. "You’ve spent three years hiding your feelings for him."

"Again with this story..."

"Yes. Again." Sabo's tone was serious. "He's my brother. Not big, not little. My brother. So stop worrying about me. Right now I'm totally capable of accepting two of my favorite people getting together so they can be happy."

Marco held his gaze. "It's too late."

"It's not," Sabo replied, lively. "Look, Ace has a tough time accepting people like him, and I'm pretty sure it's the same with love too. If you aren't honest and direct with him..."

"How much had Roger affected Ace's life?"

Sabo blinked, surprised by the change of argument, and surprised by something that should have been obvious. "A lot? Like, really a lot. Something back then that I was sure of, Ace was almost suicidal by the way he acted."

Marco breathed in sharply, "Then I was a jerk."

***

"You can stop crying, you know." Ace said. King hadn't stopped sobbing into his shoulder and was looking like an old fat man had turned himself into a ball of tears. It was embarrassing, even if Ace was actually smiling.

It was time for the Second Division to leave, but Ace being safe and sound with the other Commanders still seemed to not be enough for the former Spade Pirates. They didn't want to be separated from Ace again.

"Well, you can't blame us." Regina said. "Last time you left we lost any contact with you and you ended up prisoner to a man we should kill..."

"I know, I know..." Ace patted King's shoulder, comforting the larger man.

"Com'on, guys, or we'll leave you here." said Doma, from up in the crow nest. In his opinion they had spent too much time hiding. Now it was time to take back their territories, and their role in the New World.

Regina shot an annoyed look at him.

"We'll be back soon," Ace promised. "I'm pretty sure Fossa gave his Division instructions about a new ship and, by the time we'll be in the New World we'll be all together again."

"You better, or next time I won't be the only one kicking your ass," Regina said, and strangely both Tennant and Jack agreed with her. Ace had no doubt they would do that.

He remained still until the ships disappeared on the horizon, his arm raised in farewell and a big smile in his face. Ace was happy being home again, even if they were all separated into smaller crews for the time being. After the fear of being left alone and a prisoner, everything just seemed better.

He turned back and jumped on the Little Moby to tell Pops that the last allies had left, so they could start packing for their own departure. At that moment, Marco opened the door of the lower deck to step out. Ace froze. They hadn't had any chance to speak after what had happened with Teach, Marco had been busy with Pops while Ace had been with Luffy and Sabo. But Ace knew they couldn't pretend forever they hadn't have a fight.

Marco spotted him, but he didn't smile. Ace swallowed. "We should talk" he said, as he approached Marco.

"Sure." Marco nodded and leaned his back against the nearby railing. After a moment, he gestured to Ace with his hand to join him. In that position, neither of them could look at each other, both of them facing toward the mast of the Little Moby. Ace couldn't say if speaking while facing each other would be easier.

"I owe you an apology." It was Marco who spoke first, surprising Ace. He didn't feel Marco should be apologizing to him. "I was worried and I let my feelings out without understanding yours. I should have been more empathetic and not make such a statement."

"No, no..." Ace burst out, moving to actually face Marco. "I'm the one at fault here. I went and started speaking about trust, forcing Sabo to go after Teach because of this and then..."

"You were scared, weren't you?" Marco put the hand on his shoulder.

Ace nodded. He hadn’t been just scared, he had been terrified. He loved being a Whitebeard Pirate. He loved his family, so much that the thought of losing them, or worse being betrayed by them was unbearable. And then the guilty feeling of not trusting them was eating him.

"Then I am the one at fault here," Marco continued. "Instead of putting you at ease, I just made things worse."

"But you were right. I shouldn’t have ever stopped believing in you all."

Marco smiled. "Okay, then. Let's forgive everything and start again." he said. "I don't care about who your father is. We never had any idea when we asked you to join us. We just wanted you as a brother and we still do."

Before the Whitebeard Pirates, only two people in the world had accepted him as he was, not caring about anything else. Sabo and Luffy. Finally, Ace felt like he had found a place in the world where he could finally be free from his father's shadow.. a place to call home and family.

"I trust you." He swallowed. "And I'm glad you did everything back then to convince me to join."

"It wasn't easy, but it was worth it." Marco laughed as Ace first pouted, but then smiled. Finally, all the tension between them disappeared.

"There is another thing I'm sorry about."

"What?" Ace asked, perplexed. He didn't remember anything else, and he was sure he didn't put any fault on Marco about what had happened with Sabo and Luffy. Nobody could have stopped Luffy once he decided to do something, and Ace was the first to fail at saving Sabo, while the Whitebeard Pirates had succeeded.

"I was afraid of hurting Sabo, so I've been hiding my feelings all this time. I don't think I can do that anymore," Marco explained. "I like you, Ace. Really. I understand you may not feel the same but-"

His words were interrupted by Ace's mouth pressed against his own.

 


	9. Epilogue

"You're not happy about this."

Sabo and Ace were lying on the deck of the Little Moby while the ship was heading back to the New World. It was a sunny day and they were enjoying it. Ace didn't need to ask what Sabo was referring to.

"It's not like that," he replied. "I'm happy for Luffy. He needs to become a lot stronger to survive and there’s no doubt Rayleigh is the ideal trainer."

"Still, you would have preferred someone else."

"Yes. No." Ace groaned. "I mean, it's not even his fault. I spent years freeing myself from my father's life, and I only just accepted people actually finding me important for myself and not just because of him." And no, Ace wasn't flattered by it either. "But Rayleigh is strong, so good for Luffy. I don't have to be his friend though." Then he smiled. "Plus, we'll be training under the strongest man in the world, so..."

Of course they wouldn't remain the same while their little brother was training to become stronger. Besides, Sabo's ego was still hurt by his loss against Teach; who was still free to roam around and maybe still had intentions to capture Ace again. They would be ready. Pops and the others were more than eager to become their trainers.

Sabo smiled. "I made a decision," he affirmed then, serious.

"What decision?"

"About what to do when Pops dies."

"Don't say that!"

"Well, it's not that I want that!" Sabo replied, offended. "But... all these events made me realize just how old Pops is. He's gonna die one day and there's nothing we can do."

Despite how much Ace would like to deny it, he had to agree with Sabo. When he saw Pops after he was rescued, he hadn’t looked at all like the strongest man in the world, but just like an old man who got tired every time he did something. Age was their biggest enemy.

"Well, I can't die until he becomes King of the Pirates."

"Right, so Luffy will defeat him." Sabo laughed.

"Yeah, sure." It was absurd just to think about it, but Ace wanted Luffy to become the King of the Pirates, but it was hard imagining Luffy as stronger than Pops, or any of the other Emperors. Still, it couldn't be helped, since Luffy was his little brother. He would never stop seeing him in that way. "You still have a decision to tell me."

Sabo nodded. "I won't stop to being a pirate. When Pops die, I'll make my own crew and keep being a pirate. Maybe some of the others will come with me, but I'd like to have my own comrades and become the captain I was dreaming of in the past... and write my book."

For a while, Ace remained silent. Right now, he found it difficult imagining a life without Pops and the others, but he saw Sabo's point. A pirate crew depended on his captain. The Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't exist anymore without Pops. But stop being a pirate? No way.

"Maybe I'll do the same," Ace said at last. "King, Regina, Jack... they'll probably join me." He remembered with pleasure his time with the Spades Pirates. He would miss Marco and the others, but if they retired from the pirate life he would let them go. "But I hope it won't be any time in the near future." And he laid down again next to Sabo.

"Yeah." Sabo smiled. "I don't mind remaining the little brother for now."

After seven years of being Luffy's big brother, who right now was big enough to even save them, Ace couldn't help but agree. "Me neither."


End file.
